Spring, And A Man's Thoughts Turn To...

More sheep. What else?

Jeff went sheep shopping last weekend and chose four more from the Vinds' French Creek Hill Farm (no website) closed flock of Jacobs: two four-horned ewes, one two-horned ewe, and an adorable two-horned wether.

Meet Morag, "my" four-horned ewe:



And this is Jeff's favorite (just shorn), known so far only by her number:



I can't wait to see the name he chooses for her. We're out of cheese names, having named the wether Manchego. (There's a sick joke in there.)

I finished Jeff's double-thickness, handspun homegrown Jacob hat. Here he is, cheffing some more Indian food, while wearing it (yes, it's very cold in our house.)



I knit it top-down, and then continued down and down and down, and ended by making another top (think "sock toe") and then I stuffed that end inside the first end. Like a dubbelmossa. I made it too long to wear without folding up a brim, but when folded, the brim isn't long enough. Maybe it stretched, because Jeff slept in it. Sigh. Time to tink and do it over.

Every time I make a top-down hat, the end (the part by one's ears) comes out too loose. Should I go down a needle size for the final ribbing? Decrease? What do you do?

At least I had a few days of pride in my first Farm-Grown Garment.

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With some great tug toys (which benefit dog rescue!), Boris and Molly have learned to play together indoors without scrapping. Another puppy milestone, and thank goodness - Molly's intimidation tactics were giving me heart palpitations. I have never heard a dog make the kinds of noises she makes, and she is loud.

I think these toys worked because the dogs realized they needed one another to play tug if it was to be any fun - with squeaky toys, all they wanted to do was get the item away from each other, and it caused a lot of crabbiness (and had great potential for giving me a stroke.)



Emma continues to impress us with her intelligence and sweetness... not wishing to disturb Yoda's sleep (in "Emma's" chair), Em naps like this:



Were that all the Big in the world were as concerned with the Small... At least here on the farm, they coexist peacefully.

I stayed up late last night, assembling quilt squares. I may have some blocks to show you soon - but they are practice blocks in a fall colorway (I haven't sewn for a while and didn't want to mess up my new Lakehouse fabrics!) Happy spring to you.

Spring Has Sprung At The Farm

Springtime is upon us.
The birds celebrate her return with festive song,
and murmuring streams are softly caressed by the breezes.
Thunderstorms, those heralds of Spring, roar, casting their dark mantle over heaven,
Then they die away to silence, and the birds take up their charming songs once more.

~ Antonio Vivaldi, poetry from The Four Seasons: Spring

Springtime may be upon old Antonio, but a season of mud is upon me. A rivulet of melted snow and ice runs down my driveway and along the road to the creek at the bottom of the hill. I can't help kicking the slush away from its sides, like a child obsessed with floating sticks down a stream or jumping in a puddle, to make it run faster in the hope that the yard will dry out sooner.

It might not be lovely outdoors - though the breeze is fresh and green blades of grass show here and there - but indoors, things are blooming. How springtime-fresh are these pretty quilt fabrics? Can't wait to start some Shabby Chic, cottage-y patchwork. These are Cherry Baby from Lakehouse (left) and Serenity from 3 Sisters (right).



And I'm a mama today! Meet Eggbert, the Tuppinz Farm Animal Of The Day:



Finally my eBay eggubator has proven its worth! The other two eggs should hatch within the next 24 hours. The one that has hatched has an Ameraucana hen for a mother, and the father is probably a Golden-Laced Wyandotte. If this chick is a hen (whom we will then call Eggbertina), we will know for sure who the father was when she starts laying, as (I believe) egg color is inherited from the father's side.

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Chef Jeff has been cooking lamb - Indian, as usual. This recipe was great - red chilies, cilantro, and Jeff's fresh homemade garam masala. The potatoes are from a Tibetan recipe which includes turmeric, ginger, garlic, and green chilies - fabulous flavor, and very easy to make. Very warming (especially with all the chilies Jeff puts in!)

If I could only get Jeff to make momos (Tibetan dumplings) from that cookbook, I'd be all set...


Food by Chef Jeff,
handwoven napkin by Stasia.

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Speaking of Tibetan, Frieda's lovely cashmere is spinning up just great on my Tabachek Tibetan spindle. It's a pleasure to use and wonderful for spinning short fibers.





And guess what finally showed up?



Last year's spring clip - the hoggett fleeces of our flock - from the processor. We have homegrown!!



The Shetland is soooo soft, but I really love the variations in the Jacobs' roving (above) and the resulting handspun yarns (below):



That strange looking thing on the lower left is a hat I've started for Jeff. He wanted one made specifically from Gruyere, his favorite Jacob ewe.

And no, I still haven't sewn the sleeves into his sweater, but I did at least cut the steeks! Judging by the river running through the yard, I don't think he'll have much use for it anymore this year. (Good, I can quilt instead!)

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If anyone has gone through the process of building a house from scratch, would you please give me any tips you may have to offer? Any and all advice is very welcome. Our 1880s farmhouse has been determined to be hopeless in terms of renovation, so we must begin again and are looking here. Remind me someday to tell you about Hobby Farm Mistake #1...

Have a happy St. Patrick's Day and don't drink too much green beer!