Has Spring Sprung?

After lots of cold, tons of snow, etc., etc., etc. I think Spring may finally be on it's way in here. It was 72 degrees here yesterday.

It's hard to believe that not even 2 weeks ago we were doing this. And now everything looks like this:

What have we been up to? Not a whole heck of a lot. Which is really nice considering Jessie has been having 2 basketball practices every week in the evenings since December. But we did sign up for 4-H on Wednesday night.

Last night we ear tagged the 2 baby calves that we have so far and let them loose. Feisty little things. And then we had a mini party out in the barn when a friend and his family came over. We will buy Jessie's 4-h pigs from him. And his daughter fell in love with Shamy. So it looks like if all goes well this weekend when she comes back to ride her, I will be less 2 horses (he is planning on buying Kiara for himself and leasing Shamy for his daughter indefinitely). Which is fine, as I've thought long and hard about keeping the horses. I don't have time to ride, Jessie and Tyler do not want to ride and really - the one horse that I used to show, Shamy, is too nice of a horse to just sit out in the pasture and do nothing. She thrives on being ridden and shown and worked with. So I will send them to a fantastic home and when Jessie and Tyler are all grown up and gone, I will buy myself another horse and start showing again. It will be wierd not having a horse, I have always had one since I was 9 or 10. But I'm not thinking about that and instead I am thinking about how happy she will be if this all works out.

This weekend I have to work Saturday, but on Sunday we are planning on cleaning out the barn and getting ready to put Jessie's 4-H animals in there. Unless it's raining and then I will be cleaning in the house and making our trash hauler mad at me again for putting so many bags out there.....

Have a great day

Kris

Gearing Up...

Wow. In 9 days Todd and I will be driving to Minnesota to pick up our puppy.

9 days.

Today, my Durango is in the shop getting checked out. When I had new tires put on it last december, they said something about the tie rods and ball joints needing to be fixed/replaced. Whatever. I'll get to it in good time.

But...with driving 13 hours (962 some odd miles) one way. We had better get them fixed. And they might as well change the oil, rotate the tires and check all the hoses. I would seriously HATE to be broke down somewhere far far away on Friday night.

I'm not sure yet what route we will be taking - either into Iowa and up north to Belle Plaine MN or across Wisconsin. Anyone out there want to meet up for a brief visit while we are either coming or going? If you Map Quest West Salem, OH to Belle Plaine MN, it tells us to take the northern route. But Todd said something about taking the southern route across 80 into Iowa.

And I have already let it be know that if I have a chance to stop for a little bit and visit or find a cool shop somewhere - we will be stopping. And you know on the way home with a 7 week old puppy, there will be lots of stops.

Now if I could just get the cargo area of the durango cleaned out so we could put the puppy kennel, and get my projects ready for this trip I'd be all set.

Kris

I feel Lucky.....

Every now and then something you knit comes out darn near perfect.

As was the case with my Short Lucky.I have to say though, when I first downloaded the pattern, I was a little unsure - it was 8 pages long. I jumped in though and quickly figured out that the pattern is so long because she gives such great detailed directions. Which I need....

I did a wet block on this one, as I wanted mine longer - from shoulder seam to the hem it is 25". I've learned that if I have a shorter sweater I will NOT wear it. Or I'll spend all day tugging at it. And ribbing (to me anyhow) looks very good with some aggressive blocking.

I think I may need some sort of clasp or closure at the top, but for now, I am so wearing this to work today just as is.

Details:

Short Lucky by Thea Coleman

Yarn - Cascade 220 heathers, 4 skiens

Needles - size 8 circulars (I think the pattern calls for 9's, but this yarn just looked so much nicer with the 8's)

Size - Medium.

Calf #2

They sure do seem to be popping out around here:)

Friday night we brought in the next cow to calve. Normally, we'd leave them out in the field but...Todd was leaving the house at 6:00 Saturday morning to drive to southern ohio for an auction. And I just knew that she would have this calf Saturday sometime.




And let's just say she has had trouble in the past and is not the easiest cow to catch. And I'm not standing out in a muddy field trying to rope a cow who is intent on chasing me out of the field and running me over. There are some things I am just not doing. (For the record, I will and have helped to pull calves when needed - as long as they are caught first). So if I have to call in help I wanted her somewhere that we weren't going to be chasing her all over creation.




Saturday morning was not a good morning. All I had left to do on my sweater was the neckband. You think the kids would stop arguing for 20 minutes so I could do it? Nope. Which left us all out of sorts as I finished that, cleaned the house and kept checking on the cow. Who was for all appearances no where close to calving.

Only to walk out the door at 11 a.m. as we are rushing to get to the final basketball game of the season to hear "the moo."



The one that means get away from my baby.




A quick look at the cow and calf - it was breathing and trying to get up, take the kids to Jessie's basketball game (where they tied 8-8), eat lunch at Wendy's, run home to check on mom and baby, and back to Acres of Fun for a round of laser tag and roller skating, to come home and grab pizza and wait for the kids friends' to arrive to spend the night.








Which we aren't doing for a very long time as all four of them were up pretty much all night long.



But I did get my Short Lucky finished and blocked, and it is drying now. Hopefully tonight it will be dry and I can get some pictures.

Once again, a pretty bad picture that doesn't show the true green of this yarn.......

Kris

Getting there.

I really don't like to purl stitch when I'm knitting. Stockinette in the round is what I like. Well, that and cables or lace.

HOWEVER, I LOVE this sweater. And I think I'm getting faster with doing this rib pattern. Too bad it took me through most of the sweater until it clicked in my brain which rows you start out with a knit stitch and which rows you start out with a purl stitch and which rows you start out the same. Now I can do this by memory as long as I keep track of what row I am on.....



It's a good thing this is knit from the bottom up - it got the boring stuff out of the way, and now with all the shaping you do, it keeps it interesting.

this picture is taken before I totally finished knitting the back

I now have the back done and am halfway up the right front. All I have is the left front, the neckline, collar, sleeve edgings and some finishing to do, I think.


Which is good cause I really, really, really want to wear it this weekend.

this yarn though? I'm not sure about. I've had 2 skiens (out of the 4 I've wound so far) that have had split yarns and cut yarns in them.......which means lots of weaving in of the ends. I do love the color and the fabric it created, but if every skein is going to be wound into 4 or 5 balls, that is a pain!

Kris

1st calf of the seasson

It has started.....

Monday (March 1st) night (well, technically Monday afternoon) while I was waiting for the blacksmith to come trim the horses hooves I was riding. I know, shocker....

And yes, I was messing around trying to

take a picture with my cell phone.

And keep my balance at the same time and not fall off.

But I climed up on Shamy (and this was not the brightest move I have ever done but there are some horses that you can do this with and some you can't..) bareback, with just a halter and 1 leadrope. No saddle, no bridle, heck, not even 2 lead ropes to control her. She probably has not been really ridden since sometime in 2008. And did I mention it's been almost 2 years since I've been on a horse? Probably 2 years this coming August.

It was fun - trotting and cantering around the field through the snow. She still remembers how to be a western pleasure show horse. Sit back, hit the cruise control button and go.

But anyhow....I was looking at the cows and thought Mittens looked a little uncomfortable. The blacksmith arrives, I end my ride, hold both horses while I catch up with him (when I showed horses I almost always showed against either him or one of his brothers and sisters), and as we are looking at the cows he even makes the comment that Mittens looked uncomfortable.

I go in the house at 5:45, Todd gets home at 6:20 and guess what? There is a baby calf on the ground in the back of the lot. She had it all on her own, no involvement or help from us:) I love this heifer.

We give them some time and then in the dark go out and bring them in. It's a tiny little thing, only about 60 lbs. And it's a heifer. Which was vastly disappointing to Tyler, who wanted a bull calf. But he has since decided that this is my heifer and we AREN'T selling her and sissy is NOT showing her - NO WAY NO HOW. hmmmm...... opinionated little thing, isn't he?

But she's healthy, mom survived and has figured out the whole routine, as we sit back (not really) and wait for the rest of the herd to start popping out babies. All the while we are praying really, really hard that everyone takes a mini break while we are in Minnesota here in a few weeks....

Let the fun begin......

Kris

Wishful thinking....

that this will work to "plow" all the snow we have had.....but this kid has TONS of imagination...

And Jessie's basketball game? She actually managed to score 10 points for her team (final score - 20 to 8 WAY TO GO HUSKY GIRLS!!!!). I tried to get it on video and or picture......it is very hard to get good video when everyone in front of, behind you and a round you is yelling and jumping up and down....

Otherwise? This is what we did all. afternoon. yesterday.

Be back later,

Kris