Knitting a shawl.

I started this shawl last Friday at Mrs. T's. I have gotten this far with it. I love the colors. This is some wool yarn I got at SAFF last October in Ashville. I can't remember the breed of sheep though. From Heelside Farm in N.C. It's really thin yarn. Maybe lace weight?

I really don't know what I'm doing. I am going up from the bottom. I cast on 4 and am increasing nearly every row at both ends. When I switched to the green color, I started doing some yarn-overs. I love how this looks.

So, how do I know when It's big enough? Like when I get to around 290 stitches? I wish now I had started at the top. Can't even imagine how longs it'll take to bind off that many.

Last week, while my mom and I were out, we went to a big thrift store over in N. Chattanooga. I was looking through the books and found this. Grace Livingston Hill is one of my favorite authors. I was so excited to find this book, The Enchanted Barn! It's my favorite book of hers and I have read it many many times already. But can't find my little paperback. So when I found this, I was so happy! She is a Christian writer. Romance with a mysterious twist. All written back in the 30"s-50's. I have read nearly all of her books so far. Some I still need to read. But this one is my favorite. If you ever see any of her books, get them. Very easy to read.

I am still working on my studio. Went yesterday and got a light for my laundry nook. And put up some little shelves in between the 2x4's for put laundry things. It sure is nice to have a light in there now!

I have several of those black plastic milk crates I'm going to hang on the wall for yarn storage. I also went through several crates of non-wool yarns I've had for years. I had to wind some. And I got all the tangles out! Still SO much to do in here. But already feels so much cleaner and open now.

I'm glad I have a washer over here to use on these frozen days. My washer is on the back porch in the big house. And the water lines is running out the back through the yard, not buried. So it freezes. Looks like I can hang clothes out today though. It's beautiful outside. But freezing!

My Trooper. And some shelves.

I am so relieved. This car has been sitting since July. I thought it was the transmission, so towed it to the shop in town. Not the transmission. They said to take it to the tire shop right up from them. It was drive able, but very loud. So took it over there. He said it was the rear end. And could possibly be around $3-4,000 to get fixed. So took it to Mrs. T's and it's been there ever since. Trying to figure out what to do with it.

So yesterday, we took it to the ZZ Top Shop in the valley, close to Mrs. T's house. (I call it the ZZ Top shop because all the guys there have really long hair and beards.) I had talked to Jerry, the owner, about it. He said to bring it in and they'd check it out.

Jerry just called. He had some pretty darn good news. It wasn't the rear end differential but the front! It's 4 wheel drive and he was thinking if it was the rear, it would be next to impossible to find one and it would be  really expensive. So the front! And bearings too. About $400!!!! I am beyond happy about this! Since it's been sitting so long, he's going to check the brakes and other things. He said this would take care of about 95% of the noise it's always had since I've had it. I am good with that! He said it'd be ready to go tomorrow too. And he doesn't take credit cards. So I'll have to figure out how to pay him. And get insurance back on it. And give her a good cleaning. It's been sitting under trees this whole time, so really turned it black. And it smells musty real bad inside. But I'll have my farm truck back! I sure have missed this ole gal.

It's just the best farm vehicle ever. I can get all sorts of animals in it. And hauls about 8 bales of hay in a pinch. And tons of grains too. Just a really good all purpose vehicle to have on a farm. And makes the best market truck too. I can get all my farmer's market stuff in it. And I am planning on going to a few markets this year.

Now, back to getting this place cleaned up and organized. I went last night to Home Depot and found these 2 shelves and another that's twice as big and tall. I love these little canvas baskets too. Now to figure out where to put them all. I still want the wooden crate=like boxes to put yarn in. If I can get the husband to make some. Or I'll start looking at thrift stores and yard sales for them. I have some black plastic ones that will work. They're just black.

I just took pictures of this mess, so will show before and after later when I am finished with this mess. It could take awhile.

Cleaning.

I really have let my studio get so messy these past several months. This kitchen was a total disaster! From making soap in the fall for all those shows. Not cleaning up. It was really bad.

So I came over this morning and got to cleaning. I put all my crock pots and soap things away for now. Cleaned all the counters and stove and table off. I feel SO good to have the kitchen at least cleaned up. For now.

I need shelves for the rest of the studio. I'm going later today to look. I need places to put wool. And yarn. And material. And so much more. Everything is over here now, and there's really not a whole lot of places to put things. I get so tired of every surface being covered with things. When all I need are shelves to put things in. So then maybe, I might get motivated to make things. Just maybe.

All I know is that I feel better working in a clean space. So I will get busy looking for shelves. Do y'all have a favorite type of shelf to store yarns and wool related items in? I'd love to know what you all use.

Done!

I only put 5 buttons on the sweater. The holes were too close for these buttons. So I sewed the other holes up.  I think it looks good with just 5. So I can finally get it to Cara now.

Buttons!

I got my buttons yesterday from Taryn at Wooly Moss Roots in Oregon! I love their hand made wood buttons. They do such a great job. And the little honey bee buttons are so little. I got them for the little yellow sweater. And the bigger Lamancha goat buttons will be for my sweater.

                                                                     Aren't they so cute?

                                                      Lamancha goat buttons. I love these!!!

So now, I just need to sew these cute little buttons on this baby sweater and bonnet and get them over to my sweet friend Cara. She's due the end of January with their 5th baby! Might come early.

Look what I found...

My camera charger. I knew I'd find it some crazy place. We were looking for the remote to the tv in the bedroom and sure enough, there it was, on the little table, covered up with all sorts of things. Then yesterday, the new charger came. So now I have 2 chargers to lose!

The ground was frozen this morning. First morning to haul water to the animals so far.

I went to feed the chickens this morning and there was a mouse in the barrel. Scared me! So I called the dogs and they reached in and got the little thing. I felt bad for it. But there are so many around here. And apparently, my old cats aren't doing a good job. So 1 less mouse.

I don't know if I'm not dreaming much anymore, or just not remembering my dreams. I can have some pretty good dreams too. My favorite dreams are house dreams. I love them. They are usually really big houses, that just go on and on. New rooms around every corner. Hidden rooms. Rooms in the attics. I love these dreams. Anyone ever have house dreams? I wonder what they mean?

So this morning, as I lay in bed trying to get up, I remembered dreaming about a sheep that was with all my other sheep. But it didn't look familiar at all. It was small and had very kinky dark dirty grey wool.  And it's little face was so sweet. But not at all the way my sheep looked. It kept following me all over and I kept having to pet it and reassure the poor little lamb. But I just kept thinking how it wasn't mine. And where did it come from?  Then I woke up. Some dreams just stay with me.

Goats

Olga is looking much better now. The hair is growing back on her neck. I really can't tell if she's pregnant or not. She has no udder at all right now. She's never had kids before either. I saw Oden on her when I thought she was in standing heat. So I know something happened in October. We will see soon enough I suppose.

And my Freja. She's so sweet. I know she is pregnant. But still not very big at all. I think she was in standing heat a few days before Olga.

Here they both are. Olga is so fluffy, it really is hard to tell. And she's a big girl. Wide rear end too.

And Oden is a daddy! He went to my friend Cara's farm for awhile to breed some of her does. Wafer had twins a few days ago. A boy and a girl. Wafer has ears, so one of them has long ears and the other one has a little bit longer elf ears. We are hoping they are both polled. And Wafer is white. So the twins are an off white-cream color. I sure hope I have some colored kids. I am not a big fan of white goats.

                                 A little better shot of Freja. I had cut some cedar branches for them to eat.

It is freezing today! Windy cold here. I hope the wind and sun dry up some of this mud. That would be nice. But it's freezing.

Yesterday, I went for a walk down my road. I could not stop looking at all the trash along the way. On both sides of the road. It was horrible. I mean trash every few feet. And I walked a few miles. So on the way back, I found someone's empty bag of deer corn. I started picking up trash on the other side of the road and had that 50 lb bag full within minutes. I l aid it beside a fence and went back later to get it. I then found a small cardboard box and started filling it up. All kinds of trash. Like people just throw out their garbage while they ride down the road. Just ugly. And heartbreaking to see it. So I will go again later with bags and pick up more. I think I'll take 1 bag just for soda cans so I can start saving them then take them in for money.

This is one thing I have drilled into my husband, my kids and now my grand kids. Do not throw anything out of a car!!! Just throw it on the floorboard and when you get home, clean out the car and throw it all in the trash! It's just that simple. One time, right after I met my husband, he threw something out of the car. I almost screamed. We had to go back and get it. He never did it again. And my kids, one time, did it. We went back and got it. They never have done it  again. Or my grand kids. So I hope they have realized how it makes the scenery so ugly.  I'm done now.