HAPPY THANKSGIVING Y'ALL!!!!!

Goofy Alpaca

I got all the kale I could get from the garden this morning. Then let the sheep and alpacas out in it. They could actually have gotten in there any time if they'd tried, because the fence leading out there wasn't even attached. But they are sheep. And alpacas. And not the brightest of God's creatures.

Can you see Sugar, the white alpaca? Can you see where he is? Not with the others in the garden. He could not figure out how to get out there. And he's right beside the opening to the right of him. But no, he was not going through.

He was making that sad alpaca noise the whole time, watching the others.

                                                                 He ran this way...

                                                                            and that way...  

                           

                                                                     What a mess he is!

                                       Then finally, he figured it out! It was really simple, he said.

                                                      And all is well in the kingdom again!

I picked a bunch for the goats too, just to be fair. They love kale and it's so good for them. I already have some in the freezer. Plus the electric fence is around the older kale and the collards. So I can still pick it for a long time to come.

I'm kinda bummed about this weekend. Looks like rain, rain, and more rain both Saturday and Sunday. Both days of the holiday market at Cloudland Station. Even though the "artisans" will be inside the barn, people do not like walking in the rain. I hope it passes over us.

And there's more...

 soap everywhere!

I made 2 more soaps yesterday. I don't know what happened to the first soap I started. But it took nearly all day. I had to add lye twice to it. And more oil. I added cater oil. It finally started to thicken up. And was drying as soon as I took the spoon out. Just weird. This has never happened to me before. I was going to make a rosemary-mint, but decided to go for a honey-oatmeal.

I came over to the studio this morning to check on it. It was SO hard! I didn't know if it was going to cut. But it did. It is perfect. I took this little piece to the sink and it's got really good lather already. And smell like honey. So I am well pleased with it.

                              So on the left is the cedarwood. On the right is the honey-oatmeal.

These are the 3 soaps I made last week.

On top is the Dragon's Blood. It has darkened considerably since I put it on the rack to cure. Smells so good.

In the middle is the Spiced Mahogany. It reminds me of Old Spice.

And  on the bottom is my special Apple Cider-Cinnamon. I usually use my own apple cider, but only had a gallon frozen. So last week I got some from Wheeler's Orchard at the farmer's market. I use it in place of water or milk. I added some ground nutmeg and cinnamon EO. I usually add clove EO but didn't have any. So I put some ground nutmeg and cinnamon on top. It smells so good.

And that's all the soap for now. I'll see how much I have left after this weekend's holiday market.

I made another hat from Amarillo's wool. Just knit all the way. Pretty, but I like the basket weave hat better. So I can take orders for it if anyone wants one like it.

More hats. And yarn. And soap.

 I am really loving my yarn swift! I don't know why I have never gotten one before. But it sure makes life a lot easier. I have been winding a lot of yarn lately. And knitting. I am addicted to knitting! I love it. It's about all I do anymore. And hats? Lots of hats.

This is yarn I hand spun from one of my ewes, Amarillo. It's SO soft and easy to work with.

I made this hat yesterday. And I still have lots left. I'll make a scarf or cowl to go with this. I've just discovered the basket weave technique. Is that what it's called? It's so pretty and easy to knit. Makes it have more texture.

And this is one I knit from the tan and white I bought at the fiber fair. I am also knitting a pretty cowl. But it's so boring. Just knit and knit. I cast on 30 so it's pretty wide. And I'm using huge needles so it's going pretty fast. But not fast enough. I got tired of knitting that so I knit the white hat.

And this is the chicory hat from yarn I bought at the fiber fair too. I made the fingerless gloves to go with this. And I also knit a cute little scarf. It needs to be blocked though.

More yarns I wound up today. It's so fun! My grand daughter, Chloe, did the face on the head, by the way.

SO I really think the bad bald spot on Olga's neck is from rubbing it on the stanchion. It already looks better since I haven't put her in it in a week. I was really worried about her. But other than this ugly spot, she's just fine.

I am making 2 more soaps today. A rosemary-mint and a cedarwood. I have 3 holiday markets the next 3 weekends, so I want plenty of soap. I'll have to make more oatmeal-honey too, but need more coconut oil.

And I want to make more lotion bars. Those are really good sellers at the markets. And so easy to make.

Y'all have a wonderful week! And a happy Thanksgiving!. I may not be back on here for several days.

What is this?

Can you see that on Olga's neck? I just noticed it yesterday. I have not seen this before. And I really don't know how long it's been there. Although I think it's just happened because I would surely have noticed something so big and horrible before, right? I saw it yesterday afternoon. I ran inside and got my calendula salve and slathered it on her. She immediately started scratching it off. So I wondered if it could be a hot spot? Then I remembered I had the sheep and alpacas in the back with the goats Sunday. When I was getting them out, Misha, the red alpaca, kicked Olga. I heard it and saw Olga walk away from him. SO I wondered if maybe he kicked the hair off her neck? Then I thought maybe it could be her stanchion. Her right side is against the wall, so I don't see that side in the milk room. Her stanchion is different than Freja's. I used it for horned goats. The top goes up and there's a piece that goes over it when it goes back down. Olga will try her hardest to get the top to go up just enough to get her head out. So I have to tie a piece of leather so she can't get it to come up. So I wondered if maybe she'd been rubbing it so much, she rubbed the hair off that place. It's at just the right spot to do it.

Then I remembered a call I had from a friend who has goats this summer. And it sounds like maybe it's what some of her goats went through. She spent about $500 on vet visits and lab work and still never found out what it was. She tried all kinds of things to help the goats. Not all her goats did this, just a few. She took those goats and put them in another barn and that helped. She said she used the strongest iodine she could find. It worked.

So I found my bottle of iodine and sprayed it on real good last night. Then again this morning. I hope it helps her. I just have no idea what it could be.

I wonder if anyone has ever seen this before in your goats? And what did you do about it? This is the only place she has like this. My friend said all her goats had it on their backs or sides. She has horses too, so thought maybe a horse was taking a chunk out of the goat's hide.

It came!!!

I ordered a yarn swift last Thursday from Knit Picks. It came today! I am so excited to finally have a swift! I've already wound up a ball of hand spun yarn and I love it. It's so much easier than laying the skein down on the table and it getting all tangled up. Or having my poor husband hold a skein in his hands so I can manually wind it up into a ball. I am sure this will be used a lot!

I also made my first ever finger-less gloves. I made a hat with this same yarn, so decided to make a set with hat, gloves and a scarf. I think the gloves could have been longer? What do you think? I've never made any before, so I am learning. And I knit them flat and sewed them together. I think next time I'll go ahead and knit in the round. And make them a bit longer. But it was fun and I will be making more.

What have y'all been working on? It's just the right knid of weather for knitting. Or crocheting. Or quilting. Or just making. Right?

Hand knits. And more soap.

Yesterday, I got to make 3 batches of soap! 2 that morning, then another when we got home. We went to the dump, with a truckload of junk that I cleaned from the house.

So I made Spiced Mahogany and Cedar Safron first. They are on the left. Then when I got back home, I made more Dragon's Blood. It is not black like the first batch I made last month. I wonder why? I can't remember which crock pot I used the first time. But one cooks hotter than the other one. I used the slower one last night for this soap. Maybe it'll darken up as it cures? I will see. I hope it comes out of this mold too. My niece made it and it's a bit tall and goes in a little at the top. Makes it hard to get the soap out.

I had to buy a new scale and another stick blender too. This makes the 4th one so far. I still have the 3rd one, but it's a bit slow. But the new one is a Hamilton-Beach and is super fast. On both speeds. I have to hold the lid up so the soap doesn't splatter me. I did get some lye under my left thumb nail. Really feels like a bad burn. Not fun.

Tomorrow, I'll make 3 more soaps. Have to get ready for 3 holiday markets. Gotta get busy!

I made 2 pockets for my sweater. Just have to get them sewn on now. And I need a really big button. Big.

 This is a hat I knit with some of the yarn I got at SAFF. It's a pattern I found in Taproot magazine that I really love. It's so easy to follow the pattern too. And the other hat I knit I sold.  It doesn't really capture the pretty color in this picture. But I love it.

 And some leg warmers I knit with my ewe Darla's wool. They are so heavy and think and man are they warm! I love them. When I was about halfway done with the first one, on the left, I thought it might be a good idea to write down what I was doing. So the 2nd one is a bit bigger. I must have used a bigger needle, which I forgot to write down. But I actually like it better. It goes on easier and is not so tight at the ankle. So I am learning as I go.

Also on my sweater, I learned to bind off on larger needles. I did not know that on the neck or bottom, that's why they are tighter and won't stretch like I want. So little things like that make it easier. Also, to use a smaller needle when doing the ribbing.

So, off to spend the day with my mom. And a few errands. And lots of shopping! Which reminds me, I bought a pair of jeans yesterday in size 16. I didn't try them on at the store. I put them on this morning, and they fit!!!!!!!! So down from a size 20, sometimes 22, to a 16! Cool, right? I would love to be at least a size 12 by March though.