Author: denisemor

And it is quite cold.

We have about 12-14 inches of snow on the ground and a high temp today of 14 degrees.

The Man and I have expended quite a bit of energy over the last couple of days trying to keep the critters out of the worst of it. But blowing snow is a real bugger.

We’ve fortified the shed with tarps, hung heat lamps for the chigs, and rigged water defrosters.

If anyone is out there looking for a makeshift chicken heater, I think that we might have hit upon something that might help in a punch- seedling heat mats

Didn’t take a picture while I was out there (reluctant to remove my gloves) but you can kind of see on the chicken cam.

You basically wrap one seedling mat around the 5 gallon reservoir, and place another beneath the tray. I’ve got a rubber flooring tile below the bottom mat so that it’s not sitting directly on the concrete pavers. So far it seems to be working well keeping the water in a liquid state.

The sheeps seem to be doing ok, but are a little agitated. Don’t know if that is maybe because we’ve been out there so much puttering and messing with stuff, or maybe they are kind of freaked out by the sounds the tarps make in the wind. But I wish they would cool out and hang in the shed where it is marginally comfier.

That’s it for now. I’m pretty beat. And tomorrow isn’t supposed to be any better weather-wise.

Take care and stay safe folks-

Photos, for the record 😉

It’s a beautiful day in the neighborhood- cool and sunny. About as nice as it gets for December in the PNW.

But we’re ready for it now that we’ve got a cool new hay shelf installed in the shed- courtesy of The Man.

Here is it with the front panel down for hay bale loading

And front panel up for secure storage

A significant improvement from storing hay over on the chicken side of the shed!

And in the repairs category- I spent some time today to giving one of my favorite old woolens some love. This old Bemidji Wool Mills shirt/jacket is my go-to top layer for a outdoor work in all but the most inclement weather, and so does take quite a beating. Frayed cuffs, missing buttons, etc.

First it got a sudsy handwash. Then I secured it’s fraying bits and replaced missing buttons with some cool antler ones I had in the stash.

A neat look I think! All spiffed up and ready for another year of chores 🙂

And.,,, registration just went live for the 2022 WSU Country Living Expo. It will be virtual again this year (spread out over three days – Jan 28, 29, 30), and I am going to be teaching a Basics of Wool Processing class on Sunday the 30th. First time teaching via Zoom- wish me luck!

Or so I am told.

I didn’t actually meet any of these sheep, but I did find some new-to-me wools of southeast regional breeds that should be fun to test drive!

Neat, eh? That’s Gulf Coast Native and Florida Cracker Sheep wool (plus a bit of an undisclosed blend in a colorway I couldn’t resist). Was in town visiting family, and discovered there was a fiber mill right in the neighborhood! So couldn’t miss the opportunity for a field trip.

If you are ever in New Smyrna Beach, check out Pioneer Fiber Mill. Was cool to see what they have going on there- they have beautiful Belfast MiniMills equipment including a De-Veg-er ( I think maybe that is the fiber separator in the website) and a little retail corner in the mill with fiber and yarn.

Also was able to get almost three hats knit up in the travel to and fro.

These thick and cozy caps (and lots of other woolies) will be available next Sunday at the Alger Holiday Market

Have a good week!

The Griff Twisted stitches vest is a wrap!

And here it is with the collar turned back-

And the armhole finishing detail

Only loose ends to be woven in, then it’s ready to wear. So excited about how the mods works out. 🙂

Was really a fun, satisfying knit too. One I could see doing again, maybe an Esther version?

And speaking of flying needles, did some planning this weekend for travel knitting. Arguably the most important bit of packing.

Enough to keep the hands busy for a week? We shall see—