Some crocheting going on here.

I was bored yesterday so got on you tube and looked up granny squares.  Found a really good video, in 4 parts, teaching how to make these pretty sunburst squares. I love them! And fairly easy to make. But will take a lot of yarn.

I have a big bag full of cotton yarn so I am using that. I  love working with cotton. I'll see how many I can make. I have a huge cone of the cream color for the border.

And also made some flowers. I love you tube! So much good info there. The big ones are wagon wheel flowers, but I only did the first row of petals. I could not understand the rest to make the back petals.  The smaller one is really easy. I made a scarf with a hoodie and it needs some embellishments so made these for it.

I am really liking the free well water. We might just use it til late spring. It's not a deep well so will run out in summer really fast. My husband's good friend said he and his son and a few others can come do the water line and save about $1000. So we will just wait. I hope the city water police don't catch on.

Mmmmmm...

Wow. Just look at all that green. It doesn't even look real to me right now. Right there where the sheep are is just mud today. And old hay all over the mud. And bare tree branches. Just lots of brown. Not a bit of green.

It will look like this again. Soon.

On a brighter note...

this morning, I just pulled a little wool off Cara. It was so pretty, I decided to get a little off all the lambs. I am really happy with it all.

These are the quads, Click, Campbelle, Cameron and Clack. Cara is a single.

I was thinking the boys, Click and Clack, would have horrible wool. But theirs is really nice. Clack has the longest and lightest and Clack's is thick and darker, but shortest. They are on both ends here. Cameron's is really pretty. And all very crimpy.

Campbelle has the longest of the quads. And she's almost white. She's to the right of the pen.

Then Cara's is long too.

They are all so nice! Now I am really anxious to get them all sheared. I didn't get any of Cassidy's yet. But I will later.

This is Lucinda's. She was my very favorite ewe of all. She's really the reason I got Finn sheep. She was Annabelle's mother. She died a few years ago from barber pole worms. Back then, I didn't know enough about them to save her. Makes me sick. She was beautiful. Just look at her wool.

And I am sick because the girl who sheared her back then, did a horrible job. Had lots of second cuts. But I am working slowly on getting this fleece all cleaned and carded then spun. She is also the reason I wanted to learn to spin. I want to make a sweater from her wool.

This is her fleece. Most is really nice.

But you can see all the waste in the little basket on the left. Lots of waste. I am using a dog brush to flick the ends so I can card it. I've already spun some. But it's going to take a LONG time to get it all done. I want combs and a hackle so bad.

So my husband figured out a way to run the well water to both houses and just plugged the bad water line up. We are working on getting the money to get the plumbers out to get the new line dug. I asked on the bee forum what I should do about my bee hive out in the garden. They will have to go about 10" from it with the new line. The guy said it's mainly the vibration of the ditch digger that agitates the bees. I don't want the bees to leave or attack the workers while they are here. Some are saying to move it and put a screen on the entrance. Or just screen the entrance. Or wait for a warm day so most bees will be out foraging. Or a really cold day where they'll all be inside. And run water over the entrance to make it look like it's raining. I think I'll just put screen on the entrance. Or just leave them alone. I run the mower right in front of the hive and they aren;t bothered too much. We will just have to see. I just want this new water line in soon.

Apparently, the going rate for plumbers is $3.00 a foot. So it's going to be $1950.00. Yippee!

What we've been up to

About ankle deep in mud and old broken leaking water pipes. As if there wasn't already tons of mud on this farm and not a dry spot anywhere. UGH!

We have been dealing with this very same spot here for years now. Seems like we patch a little every year. It started to the right in this pic. Then it moves down a few feet. We don't even cover the hole back up any more because we know we'll just have to dig it all back up. Which is probably not very bright.

So from right here, it is now gray PVC pipe. But going to the road from here is all very old galvanized pipe. VERY OLD PIPE! The main house here, where we live, was built in 1948. They had a well back then. Then about 1975 or so, the old man had the little house built to the right beyond this picture. So this is in between the 2 houses.

I don't know when they got city water here, but they re plumbed it all over to city and disconnected the well. There is a hole that's covered up with a wooden box in the cat room, which is next to the kitchen. We think it had something to do with the well. It's creepy though.

You can see where this river is headed. To my garden shed where my mowers and tiller are parked.  To the right is the bigger sheep pasture, where the sheep are staying now til we can get this fixed. It's just a muddy mess over there.

My husband called a plumber this morning and they're supposed to come out and look things over and give us an estimate. I'm thinking a couple thousand bucks. It's about 650 feet to the road straight ahead. And when we do get this all done, I want a faucet for my garden and to water the animals over on the other side of the driveway, to the left. If you can see under the shed to the left, I have the old kitchen sink under there. I  have wanted to be able to use it to wash produce there. That would be so nice. Then run a water line to the garden from the wash water. And be able to water the garden without having to drag 10, 586 feet of hose all over this farm. Because the only 2 outside faucets we have on this whole place are at the little house and the well house. That's all.

So, the husband has this bright idea to put a Tee right here, about 12 feet from the well house, to the faucet there, for the 2 houses to have water. From the well. I have no idea what he's talking about. Til I see it. This is all well and good right now, since we have so much rain in the winter. And NONE in the summer. And the well goes dry after filling up the sheep trough. But we have an 11 year old girl child here now. If anyone else has one of those, you know what I'm talking about, right? 30 minute showers and all. So this might work til we can afford to have the water line fixed.

This is the old well house. I use it for all kinds of things as you can see. But the water is amazingly cold in the summer. I love getting soaked after working out in the garden. So nice. That little hole is to the left of the picture here, about 12 or so feet away.

  And just a little bit of mud for your enjoyment, just in case you don't have any right now. This is where my poor sheep have to go through to go out back. And where I have to go to get to my studio. I hate it!

So anyway. I hope it's not going to cost an arm or a leg to get this done. But it so needs to be done. because I am sick of having to deal with this mess all the time. That's all.   ( I might do a Go Fund Me project.)

Just dreaming.

It is SO wet here right now. And I cannot remember what dry ground feels like. Or even what it looks like. I don't think there is a piece of dry ground anywhere in the country at this moment. I am so tired of slipping and sliding all over while trying to get to the animals to feed the poor things. It's just a slippery slimy wet mess out there. And I am tired of it! I'm tired of having to pull on my boots just to go outside. Then having to pull these things off is a nightmare anymore. The handles are ripped so I have to get them just in the right place on the steps to yank them off. Just another of life's little inconveniences, right? I know this summer, when it's dry as a dessert, I'll wish for these days. NOT!

But really. Why is winter SO wet anymore? Seems like this whole winter, it's just been rainy or freezing or snowy. Which, by the way, I LIKE walking on frozen ground so much more than wet slippery ground any day. But hate being so cold! Awe, will I ever be satisfied?

SO, I will dream of spring and seeds and gardens and DRY DIRT for now! Look back at all my pretty veggie plants with all their pretty blooming goodness. And dram of all the good healthy veggies I'll be canning this year for us. Because I am down to just a few jars of green beans. And they are from 2008. And just a few jars of tomatoes. So, I will be concentrating on growing a canning garden for us this year and now so much for selling.

There is so much to do out there too. Last fall, I threw clover seeds out on most of the rows. They all came up. But now I want them to bloom for the bees. I did plant a lot where I won't have to till under, just for them. I am seeing all the good rich manure the chickens are composting for me in their yard. And all the old wasted hay they are scratching around. I am throwing their feed in the old hay so they'll scratch it up some more. I'll be using it for the garden.

And I'll be getting a few new critters in 11 more days. Feb. 14th, this farm will be a whole lot different.

I will also be looking for a few milk does too. I've been buying cow milk from a friend, but at $6.50 a gallon, twice a week, it's getting a bit expensive. So I am going to have to break down and get a few does. I have really missed them. But not so much during all this crappy weather.

So, enjoy some pretty color and dream of your own gardens!

Meet Belle...

 my Mom's new little bitty tiny dog. She's so cute. She's the little dog that I can't spell and spell check doesn't know how to spell it either. She's 3 years old. Mom is looking for a companion for her. So far, she is a great fit for mom. She snuggles in her lap and takes naps with her. So cute!

Silly kids!

Woolens...

A few finished projects. And a dilemma.

I asked Kansas to model my shawl and hat I just finished. Look at this silly man. He just had to do this.

I love this shawl. It's made with Lion Brand Homespun yarn. I hate crocheting with this yarn. It's awful. But I do love how it looks when done. And SO soft. And heavy and warm. This is a c2c shawl. I think I'll put a few buttons on it.

 

And I made this hat this afternoon while sitting with Mrs. T. I was over in my studio, carding some wool, when my phone rang. It was Mrs. T's number. Betty, one of the caretakers, was crying. I immediately thought Mrs. T was dead or something horrible had happened to her, the way Betty was crying. But she said her husband's nephew just died. He'd had a stroke last week and they were just going to move him to a room and he died. She was so upset and wanted to leave. So I went to stay with Mrs. T til another caretaker could come for the night.

Betty did this same thing a few months ago. Called me crying and I could not understand a thing she was saying. Again, I thought the worst about Mrs. T. But it was her daughter and a grand baby disaster. Betty is a very emotional lady. So anyway, I brought my yarn and made this cool hat while I was there.

So I have been thinking about farmer's markets. And if I should really be going to them. I love the Main St. market. And the people who come there to shop. But it's $15 for a 2 hour Wed. afternoon. That's a lot of money. For 2 hours. And this year, the membership fee will be $100 for the whole year and $50 for half a year. And most weeks I would not make much money. Mostly around $100 or so. If I count the time I start preparing for market, picking veggies, loading up the truck, driving 30 miles one way, setting up, then the 2 hours selling, then loading back up and driving 30 more miles, it's just not worth it. And the other market is on Sat mornings. Same distance. 2 hours. Not near the people there and a totally different area and older customers.

So, I don't know what to do. I need to make money. I also need to do a lot of canning since I am out of most everything right now. I also want to be able to start selling my hand spun yarns. And other wool related items.

I also want to make soap. And lotion bars. I love making soap.

But I also would like to start selling wild edible plants. I have been thinking more and more about this. I have so much better luck lately with more wild crops. Like dandelions. And I want to grow more medicinal plants too. I would love to sell to restaurants and stores.

So there is Etsy. I could try that again. I could also go around to shops to see if they would buy my soaps.

I am just not a get-out-there-and-sell-myself kind of person. But I need to be. I need to be out there meeting people and letting them know who I am. And what I do.

I really would love to get my little studio up and running too. I'm going to talk to the sign people up the road about a new fiber art sign. I want people to come here to buy from me. That would be the best thing for me. Then I wouldn't have to travel much.

Anyway, if anyone has any suggestions or advice, I will gladly listen. I need all the help I can get here.

Oh, I am also trying to get AdSense on my blog. But not sure it'll work. I would make money for every click on the ads I get. I suppose I might need to get a real blog too. One where I could put all that stuff  where I want it. Like an Etsy store link and all.

Thanks for listening. And for coming to my blog. I hope you are not bored with all the wool and sheep posts lately. But I love wool and sheep! This is what I want to do.

PS- I stopped at the feed store in town and asked about putting my soap there to sell. She said sure, bring some. So yay! That's a little step forward. She is also wanting to start a little farmer's market there on Mondays. No fee either!

And I am still working on the AdSense. Can't seem to get things going. I may have to get my niece to come help me get it set up for me. I am not very bright when it comes to computers.

Just keep spinning, spinning, spinning...

I have been spinning Amarillo's wool for days now. And still have some left to do. It's really pretty and soft and really white. In the basket, which I am using as my Lazy Kate, are the 2 bobbins I just plied onto the bobbin on the wheel.The empty bobbin was as full as the other bobbin, but it was spun a little bit thicker. On the right is so thin, like thread. So on the wheel is that full bobbin plus half the other. I didn't think it would all fit, but I kept going and did get it all on.

143 yards on this niddy noddy. That's the most so far that I have gotten on here. I spun some more today and got 93 yards on the next one. I am rather proud of this yarn. I love it.

I feel like I am getting better and better at it. I so love spinning. This is just about all I want to do any more.

I started washing some of Buttercup's fleece Sunday. This is from last May. Finally getting around to washing it. I also have a bag of her mother Annabelle's fleece too. This will be the last of last year's fleeces. Then we start all over in March, shearing all 12 of my sheep! More wool to spin!!!

Buttercup's fleece is so pretty and soft. Lamb's wool. I washed a bunch and didn't flick the tips. Then washed more and did flick the tips. What a difference it makes to do this. I only had to do 1 wash, then rinse. So much faster to wash. But does take longer to flick. Can't wait to spin this now. I may just spin from the cloud. Looks like I could.

Almost. Maybe next week.

 I was going to do a little work out in the garden Saturday. Like take up all the tomato stakes and cages. And cut down all the okra plants left from the last garden. Take my loppers and cut all the hard trunks that the 2 old retired guys didn't get the other day. Even had my wagon out there to load with stuff.

But it was such a pretty day. So brought my bag with all my goodies in it and a cup of coffee and sat out in the sun, in the garden, in my old yellow garden chair. I worked on my shawl  I started for myself the other day. I really love this yarn. It's so soft and pretty. But I HATE crocheting with it. It's horrible to get all stuck on the hook or too tight or I have to pull it too hard and it snaps. But it's so soft and pretty. And warm too. I knit  Mrs. T a long rectangular shawl and she loves it. Wears it every day when it's cold.

I didn't do any of the other things I was going to do in the garden. I did walk around a little and saw the bees out and about. And washed some wool. And spun some more.

It's still just January. I have plenty of time to do things in the garden, right?

2 old retired guys.

 2 old retired bored guys did this Thursday. There  was a huge brush pile  at the end  here and a huge evil nasty horrid wild rose tree by that phone pole. Then I had a field fence to the right of the pole dividing the garden to the left from the orchard to the right.

So my husband's friend Kid came down Thursday and together they cleaned off the fence row of all the trees and briers and crap and burned the brush pile. It looks great now!

This is looking the other way toward the south pasture. I am going to have to keep the garden looking good now. It was hidden behind all the mess.

            Here comes Black Bart, checking for any good bugs left. I hope all those big dandelions will come back though. Under all that brush grew some huge ones.

This next week, they are going to start working on all those downed tree trunks in the back pasture. I'll be getting pigs in March so need it all fixed up for them. There is also another pine tree leaning toward the electric fence back there that needs to come down. Gotta keep these old bored retired guys busy, right?

Now to get the rest of the garden cleaned up and get some seeds ordered and start dreaming of a new garden.

BIG difference!

 I grabbed the 2 skeins of the brown Romney I spun last month and wound it up so I could knit a cowl for me. And I can really see a big difference in the way I am spinning now from just a little over a month ago. This is pretty thick. The wool I'm spinning from Amarillo is really thin. I have to make myself make it a bit thicker. I like a bulky yarn though. And I like size 13 needles too!

This is SO soft and not stiff at all. I love it. I have only spun the 2 skeins so far and still have a huge garbage bag to wash and spin. It's almost got a hint of lilac in it.

I only really know a few knit stitches yet. I did make half a hat using 6 different stitches and will try to use them in something. But I always end up curling when I knit and purl. I've read different ways to prevent that but I just wanted a quick project now.

I have got to find a Romney ram y'all. There is someone in Kentucky who has beautiful Romney sheep. I may try to go up there in the fall.

More yarn. More sheep.

 I finished spinning the big bag of Romney wool the other day. It's so pretty! When I put it up to white wool, it's a pale yellow color. I just love the natural colors right now. I'm sure I'll try to dye some. But right now, I'll stick with natural. If I do sell any of this yarn, then whoever gets it can dye it. I just wouldn't know what colors to dye them anyway.

Some of the lambs, checking out this strange stuff. They are so funny, these lambs. Very curious about everything. Where the adult sheep will run away from anything strange, the lambs will walk right up to it. They ain't skeered of nothin'!

Isn't this so pretty y'all? To me, it looks like a fresh water pearl necklace. I love it. I am getting better about spinning smaller. But it takes forever to fill a bobbin with really small yarn.

                        Just look at all these big fluffy wooly sheeps! I hope to have them sheared in March.

This is Adalaide's back wool. Is this not just the most beautiful wool ever? It's SO soft and crimpy. I still have some of hers from last year but I am waiting on some combs so I can get all the locks apart to be able to spin it. This looks a lot better though. I posted this pic on a fiber forum and lots of people are interested in her fleece.

So then I started in on the rest of Amarillo's wool. It's so white and soft. I love it. Sure do wish I had hand combs though. The batts would be so much smoother and I could get out all the little nibby-nubbies.

   

Clack had to come up on the porch Monday while I was spinning, to check it out. This is his mother's wool. I wonder if her knows it's hers?

A close up of the fibers. I just love watching it as it goes from my fingers to the bobbin. I am so amazed  that I am even doing this. I love it and cannot stop. I still have a bag of Annabelle's and her daughter Buttercup's wool I need to be cleaning. I will when I get these 2 bobbins plied.  I started that last night.

Well, I think our really nice sunny warm days are over for awhile here. I have so enjoyed being able to sit on the studio porch and spin. It's been so nice this week. But today is a bit overcast and cool. Supposed to be a 90% chance of rain tomorrow. And just when the ground was starting to dry up. UGH, I hate mud!

My boys...

I sure love them all. They are such good protectors for all the girls here.

Yesterday, I was sitting on my studio porch spinning and heard a sheep stampede. They they all came running through the gate into the yard. Then I heard the loudest strangest noise. Took me a minute to figure out it was the alpacas hollering or whatever it is they do. It sounds like a peacock. It's so loud. They stayed over there in the pasture, looking toward the barn. They even walked over closer. But they made the sheep leave. They are such good protectors.

I walked over there and never did see anything. But something gave them a scare. They all followed me. The alpacas kept looking at the barn. It could have been a stray cat. I never saw a dog. But I have been hearing lots of coyotes all around, really close, the past few weeks. Last night, across the road, they were really close and loud. Makes me nervous.

And this fella. Black Bart. He's the best rooster. He loves his girls. He finds some good things to eat and calls the girls. He will not eat til they do. He is usually crowing all morning.

This morning though, he was quiet. I heard a rooster far off to the North as I was feeding the sheep this morning. I had to go check to see if maybe he'd gotten out and left. But I do believe there's a new roo in the valley. And Black Bart was hanging low. He has still not crowed this morning.

                                                   He is the most handsome roo ever.