Snow Day!!

We had a strong wind during the night last night and woke up to snow this morning....remember Mr Windfenceman was supposed to come today and finish the windfence....no show.
Dyed some more mohair locks this morning, so they are sitting around drying, I also finished a sock I started yesterday, was hoping to start on the other one but instead I spun some more alpaca mohair mix yarn. Just finished plying it, it is a light tan color and right now I am debating whether to leave it that color or to dye it, I spun it into a fat fluffy yarn to make some hats. Will decide tomorrow. Am off to bed.

Willow Wreaths

Blogger was having a hissy fit about putting the picture of the wreaths on the blog and as it was past my bedtime I gave up, will try again this morning then I better get moving at the day. Made a list of what I want to accomplish today so better take a whack at it. Husband says he is going to shear the few angora goats we have so that will keep him busy. First thing I have to do is to put the dye pot on and dye some mohair locks, so am off to do that and then will wash and block the socks I just finished knitting so I can deliver them. Keep thinking I better get at the alpaca fleece sorting too, want to get some up to the mill pretty soon to get it processed into sock yarn. Off I go!!

Progressive News

Great news, well maybe not great news.............we will call it progressive news....Mr Windfenceman arrived on Friday and the windfence is half finished, he said he will be back on Tuesday to finish it up............I do not think I will hold my breath!! The great news will be when I can say it is finished. This has been a long haul....he started in August.
Also I got the willow wound into wreaths, found my brown tape to cover the wires.......but then could not find my heavier wire so used some lighter weight wire and it was not fun wrapping the tape on it, took as long to wrap the wires as it did to wind the willow. I got seven larger wreaths and one baby one. Now I have to get organized and see what I have to decorate them with, I have some dried plants I gathered in my walks around the area so need to spray paint them and get them glued on. Another thought....which box is my paper ribbon in??? This turning into one big treasure hunt.
On the knitting front I finished a hat and have two pair of the three pairs of socks I had orders for finished......do you know how long it takes to knit a size twelve pair if socks?? But they are finished. Also got an order for another hat today so better start on that tomorrow. I also got carried away while grocery shopping.........they had bags of ripe bananas on special so I came home with two bags......so had to bake.....three banana bread's and three dozen muffins later, the bananas are under control. Do you know what banana peels are great for....for discouraging ants from living where you do not want them. I had a large ant hill in the front flower bed and no matter what I did I could not get rid of them. I heard somewhere that you should put banana peelings on the ant hill and it would drive them away so o.k. I kept putting the peelings on the ant hill and it did not seem to work, it just looked a little tacky with these black curls of peel laying there, it took a while but all of a sudden I noticed.....no ants!! That has been a couple years ago and still no ants in the flower bed.
Christmas market is coming up soon so better take a look at what stock I have and make a list of what I need to make, I know I need to knit socks as I sold out at the guild sale. Better get whipping the wool and needles around!!

More dying and willow branches

Well I got a pot of mohair curls, some mohair roving and some wool skeins dyed in time for our guild sale, took pictures of the mohair curls...........too yummy, wanted to keep them and just look at them and I got pictures of my wool skeins but forgot to take pictures of the mohair rovings and they were all sold. All the mohair curls also sold and have orders for more so better get another pot on the next day or so and I do have a couple of wool skeins left from the sale so can knit some socks. I have to get to the mill to get some more wool yarn to dye so have some for the Christmas sale. My thrum slippers sold so am knitting on another pair and this time I am being really crazy placing the different colored thrums, it was hard but is getting easier all the time. The sale was great as usual, I sat and knit on my thrum slipper....and unknit on my thrum slipper....have to confess I did not get very far in my knitting, someone would want to see how to knit the thrums in and then somehow the slipper would get turned around, I usually try to have the heel already turned before I try to knit and demo. And then I talked...........and then talked some more..........actually I talked until I was dizzy. and what was the greatest thing I got at the sale you ask me???.........Willow branches.....fresh willow branches!! Free......someone had used them as a display..........I have to confess there was a lot of begging on someones part but that someone brought them home in her car. Now I am on my way out to the car to bring them in and form them into wreaths in time for Christmas. It has been five years since I have had willow to make some wreaths. I had my own willow tree at the last place so I could just run out and snip and then we moved to this rocky tree less hill. The only tree I found while walking the quarter section was this poor little evergreen that had been chewed down by cows for years and the poor little guy was so narled and twisted. I said to resident husband....we either have to move him up by the house or we have to give him some friends and build a fence around them. We moved him up by the house and put a little mesh fence around him so he would not get peeded to death (boy dogs) and he was petted and admired and encouraged and he is so beautiful now, his branches grow at least a foot a year.
Well am out to bring my willow in, can not find my brown tape to cover the wires, it has only been five years so do not know why I can not put my fingers on it...do you? I will replace the wire later. Will try to get pictures of the wreaths.

How did I do at the show?

Remember the items I entered in the show at the llama convention? I had entered three llama fleeces and one came in first in the class, I had entered a hat and a pair of socks and the socks came in third, a lady had knit a pair of gloves and entered in that class, anyone that knits gloves should come in first, good grief.........all those fingers to knit, I have trouble with a thumb on a pair of mitts!! Then I had spent all that time picking guard hair and trash out of a llama fleece to enter the class that you send in two oz. of fibre and they spun one oz. and displayed it with the oz. of unspun fibre. I got first in that class with my entry and it took supreme over the whole show!! My winnings were a fifty dollar certificate to the mill for fibre processing, a couple of T shirts with a picture of a handpainted picture of a llama's head and a little stuffed llama. Forgot to take a picture of the t-shirts, husband had forgot to bring them so just got them in the mail yesterday. Will have to take a picture of the llama picture on them, I love it. Just went and took a picture of the t-shirt picture to post.
What else have I been doing? Sock knitting, had three orders for socks so have been trying to knit on them a bit each day, have a pair and a sock of another pair almost done. Have so much to do keep running in circles so decided that everynight before I go to bed I will write down what I want to accomplish the next day and because I can focus on that instead of trying to figure out what to do next it seems like I am accomplishing something. What is really great is when you look at your list before you head for bed and you have done what was on the list plus a few more things it feels like you are in control and if I don't get something done I had on the list I can add it to the next day and not feel bad about it because I probably had done a few things that weren't on the list for the day. Otherwise it seems if you don't get finished what you thought you should, you go to bed thinking that you did not get anything done that day. Writing down what you did accomplish that day lets you see that you are getting things done! When I tried to plan the whole week in advance and did not get everything done I felt I should have it was depressing. I don't know whether this makes sense to anyone else but me??
On the windsceen front.................still have not seen Mr. Windfenceman!! Mr. Windfenceman..yahoo!! The posts you put up are not stopping much wind!! They need the screen on them!!

Predators!! Predators!! Predators!!

First I had gophers in the garden eating my vegetables, then there were badgers digging up the pastures to get the gophers, then the other day when I went down to the garden my cute little prairie chickens had been scratching the dirt off the potatoes and eating them. Now we have a coyote in the barnyard getting my goats. Is this what they mean when they say to move to the country for peace and quiet. (Oh I forgot about that cute little Ermine that I saved from the dog...........that went out to the barnyard that night and got some of my chickens) We had a problem with a coyote a few years ago, he would get the big dog to chase him down the back of the property then he would sneak around the front and get a goat!! I spent many a day as the goat herder walking hill and dale with the goats to keep them safe. Now my time was not entirely wasted as I decided that I could knit socks as I walked with them. Now if goats see you have something in your hands they think it is something for them to eat so I had to disguise what I was doing so wore my jacket with the big pocket in front and tucked it in and as I was knitting with two colors I put the balls of yarn inside my jacket and ran the strands out the sleeves, then I could knit as I walked and if the goats noticed I could just tuck my knitting in the pocket. I called the socks I knit Wild Flower socks as they hit the ground occasionally. We had put up some field fence and have not had a problem for a few years but all of a sudden we are losing goats and do not know how he is getting in. One day when I ran out to chase him away he jumped right over the high fence..........now what are we going to do?? We nailed pieces of 2x4's on the top of the posts around the pastures and strung barb wire along the top. So that solved that but then we found another goat dead just inside the fence..........the goat had put its head through the wire to eat on the outside and the coyote grabbed it. The grass was so high the goats could not see him coming so then the grass had to be cut down around the pastures. We have not seen the coyote for a bit so hopefully he has moved on. We have a Jack Russel named Maxx, was so afraid the coyote was going to get him because he knows no fear and almost caught the coyote by the tail the other day...........He has been renamed "Dead Dog".
We decided it was time to get the garden cleaned up and veggie's put away for the winter as we have been having some cool nights. I went down and got the carrots and onions all out of the ground. Now I was so worried that we would not have enough potatoes for the winter.........I spent all that time putting out treats for the gophers and prairie chickens to distract them from the potatoes........when the potatoes were dug and brought up to the cold room......we have over five hundred pounds of potatoes in the cold room!! I could have put a sign on the garden gate for anyone that came by to just help them selves!! Everyone knows what they are getting for Christmas this year. Will drop some off at the food bank.
So that has been the move to the country and live the quiet life!! Husband is at the market today so I better go out and feed the critters before they come knocking at the door.