Long weekends are great

Really... great. There is nothing like knowing you have an extra day off before you have to go to the office. This weekend, having that extra day was just fabulous!

So what did I do with that extra time you might ask. Well nothing specific... that's the point... free time!

There was a bit of knitting, as can be seen in my growing Lace Wrap. There was much playing with the chickens.



The girls are all roosting at night now ... they are just too cute when all four are lined up side by side.



And the rest of the time, movie watching (we saw both Terminator Salvation and Angels & Demons -- thumbs up for both), relaxation, baking (lots of gluten free yummies), and running. Yep... even though I haven't blogged about it in a while, S and I have been keeping up the running. This morning, I did a 5K. It is such a great feeling to know that I can run that distance now.

So it's amazingly the end of may, the academic semester has ended, the weather is great, and I don't want to work any more!! Of course, work will happen. But I am plotting some new knitting projects. Let's see what we'll get started next....

As time speeds by

WOW! What does happen with time?! One day we have chicks... and then next, well chickens!

But wait... maybe we shouldn't get back to the chickens so quickly. How 'bout a discussion of the fact that I have managed to do a little knitting since last we talked! I've missed several knit nights given craziness at work, but last time I went I just wasn't motivated to work on the sweater I have on the needles. Well, with knit night in a yarn store, where is there a better place to be re-inspired?

After a look through a new issue of a magazine, Knit 'n Style, and a browse through the yarn on the shelves, a new WIP was born -- the Lace Wrap. A very simple lace pattern that's working very well with the bamboo that I've picked out for it. Thank goodness I've found something I want to work on again.

OK... there's your yarn fix. Now, chickens?

These little guys have been growing, growing, growing! My favorite thing now is to let them out of the house to run around. I never would have guessed it, but I love the way their ticklish little feet feel when they crawl on my legs, feet, and hands.

Are you ready to see my little girls. Here you go!

Knitting... is this a knitting blog?

Yes friends... I'm sure you're convinced I've simply become farmer Liz and that I've abandoned knitting for all time. Some days around here it even feels that way. But lest we all realize that I took a nearly 2 week break from knitting (eeeeks!!), let's look at a silly little project I whipped out yesterday.


Yes it's a swifter sweeper cover... all nice and environmentally friendly. Simple pattern free from Birdy's Knits.

Funny, the last time I knit with cotton like this it was to make a washcloth and it took me days... now this was just a couple of hours... guess my speed is picking up a bit.

In other domestic feats... S decided to do some baking yesterday!


Some of you know that I'm gluten intolerant so breads, cookies, cakes etc are usually limited to home baked (which is rare around here) or cardboard quality from the health food store. Back on St. Pat's day I found a great recipe for gluten free Irish Soda bread at Karina's blog. This is a bonus recipe for me because not only does wheat cause me problems, but so does yeast... soda bread.. no yeast!

S found the last ingredient for me on Friday so we decided to make bread Sunday for lunch. Can you say yummy! Gluten free... try it out. Not gluten free... try it out anyway!! Once S was going he got crazy and made two batches of biscotti too. Wow... we're living high here this week... bread and cookies!


And last of course, I wouldn't be a good farmer girl unless I posted at least a couple of cute chick-ey pictures.

Look at how big my little girls are getting!




Swiffer Re-Usable Cloth by Birdy Evans

US 8 / 5.0 mm

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Colorway: Hot Pink

Cast on May 2, Finished May 3, 2009
Great instructions... since I used size 8 needles (my 7s were mia) I only knit 41 rows to finish her up.
Ravelry details here.

Chickens all the time, everywhere

Hey friends... sorry for the quiet but our little chickens (not to mention work!) have been keeping us quite busy around here! By our fifth day with the little girls, we knew they weren't going to stay contained in our aluminum tub long -- they had already started flying over the edge and taking a stroll around the room we were keeping them in.

Desperate chicken times take desperate measures... time to build a chicken house!


Last Saturday was a build-o-rama day. S made up some plans and the two of us went to work. A few 2x4s, some left over fencing, wire left over from other things, and a number of hours of work and we had a chicken house! It's pretty big, but just small enough to still fit into the back room.


Pretty much fills up the room though. Aren't those tiny little chicks cute in their giant house though.

Our little guys have been growing like crazy too. Here's a picture of them on their 8th day home with us.


Now we're at day 15. It's hard to believe how big they've gotten... they are definitely small chickens now. And small chickens, well they need to drink and eat alot.

Ready for videos?

First up... let's watch the cuties just hang out in their tub so you can see how large they are (they took a little break in there today while we cleaned up the chicken house).



And next... look at how inquisitive the little girls are. S was using the vacuum and they were more than curious. I love watching them stand up on their tip toes. Take a look at the feather growth on the girls too... especially over their breast... there'sbarely any baby fuzz left there or on their backs.



And last... snack time. Garden Genie and her friends think grubs are good pets. Girls close your eyes cause you're about to see what our chicks think of grubs... yum, yum! This is video we took today of Althea having a "snack."



Hours of entertainment my friends... what more could you want out of life!

Need another dose of sweetness?

Of course you do... everyone needs some sweet in their lives!

The chicks have now been with us for 4 days. We're pretty sure they are at least a week old now, if not a few days older. Check out these little darlings.



And one more still photo.


And because video is so fun... check out some more home movies. The first is general cuteness. Look at how much their wing feathers are filling in. (You'll hear S say "It's OK kitty." The cats are going crazy with us spending time in the room with the chickies... they know something's up but can't quite figure out what it is. We frequently have little paws coming under the door with them trying to explore!)



The second video shows the chicks drinking a bit better than the video in the last post... the drinking is so cute. You also get to see a bit of chick preening and, fun, you get to see how they just flop down wherever they are whenever they want to sleep.




So cute!!

Introductions are in order

For quite some time now, I've thought it would be great to have chickens. I've liked the idea for a long time, inspired most recently by Animal, Vegetable, Miracle (as were lots, and lots, and lots of people, I'm sure). Last year when I mentioned it to S, he scoffed a bit at the idea. This year he thought it would be good to have chickens and I strongly agreed!

So yesterday we did a bit of research, visited our local feed store, Pomona Feed, and picked out 4 (hopefully) pullets to come live at our house.

Meet Betina, Ada, Beatrice, and Althea (from top left, down, and to the right).


(Yes we cleaned out the water trough right after we took the photo... we're new parents... we're learning the many ways chicks can dirty up their area).

Althea and Ada are the two golden yellow-brown chicks... both Buff Orpingtons. Betina and Beatrice, the two black chicks, are both Barred Rocks.

Our research shows that both breeds should be good backyard birds... docile, friendly, calm.

For now, the chicks are living in a big aluminum tub with a pine shaving floor. They'll be inside with a light bulb for heat for a few weeks. Then they'll move outside into a coop in the backyard. S is already making big plans for the coop and will build it himself.

And let me tell you, if we didn't want to have chickens for the local food -- sustainability angle of the whole thing, I would want them because they are just too darn cute! I couldn't resist showing a couple of videos. In the first one if you watch closely you can see them scratch and peck and, cutest, get a drink of water (they throw their head back to swallow ... too cute). In the second one, you can hear S and I chatting with them and watch them scurry around their little area.







I'll keep you posted as they grow... which they should do fast. We think they are somewhere around 4-8 days old right now (mostly guessing from pics). The barred rocks are a bit smaller than the orpingtons so we think they may be a bit younger. Both have started to get feathers, with the tail feathers being very tiny on the barred rocks. It's a whole new world friends ... I need to go surf the net more to learn what to expect!

Colibri Scarf

Yes, during all this non-blogging time, I have managed to do a bit of knitting. Earlier this week I cast off on a gift for a friend ... a scarf made from Katia Colibri, a thick 'n thin yarn (really it's thread with a bit of fluff in a few places). My friend was recently diagnosed with cancer and I thought a bit of a yarn hug was in order.

It's nice that with a simple garter stitch, you can still end up with something quite interesting ... all because of the yarn. I simply cast on three stitches and then knit every row. On every other row I increased a stitch on each end of the row to create the triangle shape. If I were to do it again, I might increase a bit more than this (maybe increase two rows and then knit one row without an increase) so that I would get more width across the top relative to the length from top to bottom of the point.

All in all though, a nice sweet project. I hope its recipient will enjoy it.




Colibri Scarf
(my own pattern -- see above)
1 ball Katia Colibri in a beige/gold color (color 7552A dye lot 09922)
(51% cotton, 45% acrylic, 4% polyamide)
US 13 circulars
Final size: 40” across the top; 34” from top to the bottom point of the triange when worn.
Cast on March 26, 2009
Finished: April 6, 2009

Ravelry details here.

All about Aran ... done again!

You all knew I couldn't stop working on this didn't you?


Nope... I had to keep knitting more squares. Now with 9 squares done I have a respectable small lap blanket or baby blanket and I'm ready to take a break.


I love the textures of cables.


I think they look great in this natural colored yarn ... even if it is Lion Brand.


Baby Aran Afghan

All About Aran afghan by Janet Szabo (as featured on Knitty Gritty)

Lion Brand Wool-Ease in Natural Heather
(20% wool, 80% acrylic)
US 7 circulars
Cast on about September 4, 2006 (but of course the squares I knit way back then all got frogged)
Cast on for squares now actually in afghan about September 2008
Finished: March 15, 2009

Modifications: none other than to use only 9 squares and to pick my own assortment of square patterns (others are in the pattern and I did not use them)

Ravelry details here.

Bulky Cable Cardigan fini

This is my take on the Bulky Cable Cardigan.

I find that Stephanie Japel’s patterns don’t fit my body too well – they are always wide on my waist and narrow over my hips. For this sweater, I knit the pattern as written until the bottom of the body and sleeves. Instead of doing the ribbing (which would have drawn the sweater in too tightly for me at the hips), I just did a few more rows of plain garter stitch.

The sweater was still a bit large for me given my choice of yarn so I also left off the button bands. A pin to hold the cardi closed at the top is working just fine for me.



The sweater is bulky… buyer beware. It will keep me nice and toasty warm, but I do feel a bit like I have padding on. You can get a little sense of that from the pictures of the sleeves. Overall, I’m happy with the sweater though. After all, who doesn’t love a good cable?


And how 'bout one last photo so you can see the giant cables down the back?


Yep... it's been weeks since a post, but at least you got pretty pics this time!

Bulky Cable Cartigan by Stephanie Japel
Lion Brand Wool-Ease Thick & Quick
in 178 Cilantro (lot 62446)
US 11 circulars
Cast on October 19, 2008
Finished: March 22, 2009

Ravelry details here.

More fun with cables!

So Thursday was my second cabling class and boy did I have some sharp thumbtacks in the box. Look at the progress these 4 women made!


I never cease to be amazed at how different one pattern can be when knit up with different yarns, in different colors, and, most importantly, at different gauges! Everyone used about US 7-8s and still the width of the scarfs varies so much.


And take a look at Sheila's scarf below! She was worried she wouldn't catch on so she got the pattern at the first class and then actually participated in the second class. She did all this in two weeks -- looks like someone didn't really need a teacher she's so quick to catch on!


All in all, definitely a very fun process for me. Several of the women from my first class were in the shop again and all are making great progress. I can't wait to see the finish products all of them make. I'm convinced they'll all be beautiful!

Want your own? Remember I've got the Gemma Cabled Scarf pattern up as a free ravelry download here.

In other news, I've been knitting too. I've finished up a couple of projects I'll post once I have photos. Of course, really what I've been spending my time on is a Twilight binge. I got the 3 disk DVD from target first thing saturday morning and have spent endless hours watching all the extras. Fun!

Teaching is Fun!

So a week ago Thursday was my first knitting class. Jayne at the purlSide, my new favorite LYS, asked me to teach a class on cabling. That's what prompted me to create the Gemma Cabled Scarf (now a free ravelry download available to anyone) -- I needed a pattern to teach.

I was worried we wouldn't have any takers. I had 12 people show up for class! Good thing I was prepared with lots of patterns and with a big giant example to teach from (see that big sage green scarf on the end of the table... that's my low-tech power point demonstration for the class... grin).


I had a super fun time teaching them the basics and everyone did such a great job! I think one of the things that's always interesting, and good for a teacher, is to see what you can improve on... what the common mistakes are. I picked up a few ideas for next time.


Look at how studious they all are... such good students!

There were a few small boo-boos as would be expected when starting anything new, but by the end of class everyone seemed well on their way to a scarf (despite my scary look below, no one had any scary mistakes that couldn't be easily fixed).


This Thursday at regular knit night, a few people from class brought in their progress... look at this!!


Very exciting to see everyone have that "lightbulb" moment and realize they too can do something new. I love cables... and I think these guys do too now. I'm looking forward to seeing their final projects even more than I was to getting my own done!

And more fun... I get to teach the class again this week! A new group to bring to the cable side this Thursday evening at the purlSide!

Gemma Cabled Scarf (with pattern info)

Long time no chat friends! I've been busy in my absence, having both fun and doing work. And I know which of those two things you'll want to hear about -- the fun!

And the first fun thing ... I finished the pattern for the Gemma Cabled Scarf and taught my first knitting class!


The class was at the purlSide (in Glendora, CA), my new favorite LYS. Jayne, the owner, took photos and said she'd share those with me so I'll post those later if I get them.

Today, I'd like to share the pattern with you.



Since this was for a class, I wanted to design something not too complicated and something that could be done as a quicker project -- hence the shorter scarf secured by a pin. I knit mine up in Lion's Brand Wool-Ease but any worsted weight wool or wool blend yarn should work just fine.

This pattern looks very complicated so it gives you a lot of "WOW" for the work. It isn't simple, simple, but was successfully accomplished by the 12 women who took my class this week. The cables are basic, simple forms with lots of repeats so once you "get" how to do the cabling, the rest is simple.

I'll be teaching the same class again next Thursday (3/19) evening if anyone wants the taught version, otherwise the pattern is available as a free Ravelry download for everyone.



Gemma Cabled Scarf (link will open up a downloadable pdf)
<1 ball Lion Brand Wool Ease in Natural Heather
US 7 circulars
Cast on February 7, 2009
Finished a short time later .. February 12, 2009

Ravelry details here.

The purlSide ... my new favorite hangout

Yeah... the purlSide is now open! The opening was a week ago today and it was great to be back in our own LYS. Thursday night we had our knit night back in the shop. Verdict... it's GREAT!


Jayne, the owner (sitting in front of a quilt that is a family heirloom, has done a great job setting the place up. It's spacious without feeling too empty. Great design... good colors... great places to sit and knit!


She's getting more yarn in every day and boy is it fun to find new things you just have to have.


And the best thing ... it's a wonderful place to be to hang out with really great friends. Jayne, thanks for making this such a great place to be.

The purlSide
1200 E Route 66 #109
Glendora, CA 91740
626-914-3747

located across from the Golden Spur restaurant and next to Headquarters Hair Salon

Tuesday – Friday
11:00 am to 5:30 pm

Saturday
12:00 pm – 5:00 pm

Closed Sunday and Monday

Classes Wednesdays 10:00 am – 11:00 am
Saturday 11:00 am – 12:00 pm
By appointment or class schedule
Prices will vary depending on class

Happy Valentine!

Last week at my knit night, my friend Sharon passed along a Morehouse Farm pattern she had received for free with a purchase she made from them -- a Valentine Heart Card.

This will be the perfect Valentine greeting for S when he arrives home from Brazil later this afternoon!


It's a cute little idea and easy to execute... knits and purls used in contrast to show the heart design, knit up into a bit of a swatch and then stitched to a card. Love it. Can't wait to share it with my honey!

Valentine Heart Card "kit" from Morehouse Farm
Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran
<1 ball
US 4 circulars
Cast on February 16, 2009
Finished a short time later .. February 16, 2009

Ravelry details here.

Aran Afghan... done?

After my little frogging game I got totally inspired to work on more blocks for this afghan. And now look... a baby version, 6 squares big, 2' by 3' is done!



And you know what... I really like it!


Seeing it all seamed together rather than just as a stack of blocks is remarkable. I still was ambivalent looking at it all laying out on the table. But once it was seamed... I don't know, it just seemed to transform in front of my eyes!


So now that I like it, the question is "should I be done?". Should I be done? Should I keep knitting more? I could knit three more squares and have a 3' by 3' lap blanket or I could knit 6 more and have a 4' by 4' bigger lap blanket. This is a true dilemma. I need your help!

So far I've used the honeycomb pattern as the primary block. It's half of the current 6 squares. (If I made it bigger, I think I would stick with keeping honeycomb as half the blocks). I also have two squares of nothing but bobbles (trinity stitch to be more formal) and one square of moss stitch filled diamonds.


Who knew this would turn out so well. Again, I need to remember... I like texture. I can't believe I forget that... I can be such a dolt. So what do you think... knit some more or be happy with what I have?

Baby Aran Afghan

All About Aran afghan by Janet Szabo (as featured on Knitty Gritty)

Lion Brand Wool-Ease in Natural Heather
(20% wool, 80% acrylic)
US 7 circulars
Cast on about September 4, 2006 (but of course the squares I knit way back then all got frogged)
Cast on for squares now actually in afghan about September 2008
Finished (??) February 8, 2009

Modifications: none other than to use only 6 squares (so far) and to pick my own assortment of square patterns (others are in the pattern and I did not use them)

Ravelry details here.

Help me decide my friends?