In which I feed alpacas and buy yarn, because I can't not buy yarn.

Lately I've been thinking about how big the world is, and how many things there are to learn how to do - mosaic tile, stained glass windows, masonry, woodworking, welding....and how there are so many opportunities to go out and learn some of these things. 

So this weekend I was fortunate enough to have a bit of a learning-related adventure!  On Saturday morning, I met a group of fellow yarn enthusiasts (read: knitting nerds) for a tour of the Bluebonnet Hills Alpaca Ranch in Navasota, TX.  We had a great tour of the ranch, and got to pet and even feed some of the 70 alpaca that live there.  The area where the ranch is located is so pretty - hilly, lots of trees, and right now covered in wildflowers (including, yes, bluebonnets - the national flower of Texas).

The ranchers were super nice and showed us all about the caretaking of alpaca, which is in the camelid family (think llamas) that come from the Andes in South America.  They're known over the world for the awesome softness of their fleece.  And they're really cute too!

We saw some funny ones with derpy-derp haircuts:

And some whose fleece grows in wavy locks:

There were also BABIES.  I LOVE THEM.  And Noel is very proud that I did not, in fact, bring one home with me.

This one is called Sweet Talking Man.  He was a charmer.  :)   

The ranchers raise these alpaca to both sell to breeders, and for their fleeces for yarn (they shear them - no worries about alpacacide!)

There might have been some yarn for sale there.  I might have accidentally bought some.  It's hard not to, when you just fed the little guy whose fleece made the yarn!

So we had lunch there, and then went to a gorgeous yarn shop in Navasota called WC Mercantile - such beautiful stuff in there!!  And they have lots of supplies for spinning yarn as well, and that might be something I'll do in the near future (since I don't have any other hobbies - sigh).

Anyway, we spent the afternoon there learning how to dye yarn!  It was really fun, and honestly much easier in some ways than I imagined.  I can see how people get addicted to it.  We got to keep the skein of yarn we dyed, and I was so happy with the way mine turned out:

(Purple, blue, teal.  Of course.  I am in a very happy rut).

Now to find patterns to use for all this gorgeous alpaca fluffiness!

It's that time of year!

So yes, it has been ages since I've posted anything.  Yet again, I apologize.  We've been going through a lot of changes here (positive ones!) that have taken up a big chunk of our time. 

So let's do a quick run through of updates since the last actual post...

- We drove to my cousin's wedding in Canada and had a blast!  Eh?
- Went to the National Quilt Museum in Paducah, KY! 
- Saw tigers on the way back at the Tiger Creek Wildlife Refuge in Tyler, TX (very cool place)!
- Thanksgiving was great! 
- So was Christmas and New Year's!
- We actually got SNOW in 2014!
- I had a birthday.  Woo.
- The Olympics were on and I may have yelled a lot at the tv when bobsledding was on.  Noel is a patient man.
- I published my first book, Things In Sky: Life Looking Up
- I got a new job (but I haven't started yet!  I start Monday, March 17th!) 

I don't want to go into my new job on the interwebs, but will just say (1) it's a major industry change (from healthcare to food!) and (2) I am super excited.  :) 

Life has been really great lately.  Noel and I have so much fun. 

I've been working on crafty projects, including welding caps for Noel, tons of Christmas knitting (stupid phone SD card deleted itself and now I have no pics of the Weasley sweaters I made for the nieces - bummer), quilt for Noel (STILL not finished), and a sweater for me (finished!). 

For those of you in the Western NC mountains, in case you didn't know, there's a fiber mill in Weaverville now that sells gorgeous yarns! It's called Echoview Fiber Mill. My mom bought me some as a gift and I just finished knitting this sweater with it. It was so silky and has a beautiful sheen to it. And it's 95% wool but isn't itchy! Miracle. :)   I actually had enough left over that I'm also making a loose mesh scarf with it too. 

 

Noel and I also worked on the garden last month to get it ready for the weather change that normally happens in mid February.  However, something did change - the Arctic showed up.  It was bizarre how cold it got here!!

Now before everyone starts whining about how much colder it is where they are, let me just put it this way:  normally by mid-February, the heat is off and the occasional A/C is running.  We have no salt trucks.  We have no snow plows.  We have no winter coats (although due to my knitting addiction, we do have a surplus of scarves).  So having a real winter here is surprising to say the least. 

So I started planting seeds AGES ago.  We rented a tiller in early February and turned the soil (actually making the garden bigger while we were at it) and mushing in about 400 lbs of compost too.  Did I mention our yard is clay?  Because it is.  Know what grows well in clay?  Nothing.  That's what.

The little seeds sprouted, started growing, and the bottom fell out of the thermometer.  Again and again.

So today I was finally able to plant the garden!  This year I'm growing:

•  Okra
•  Cucumbers
•  Corn
•  Snap Peas
•  Cotton
•  Lima beans
•  Sunflowers
•  Herbs (basil, thyme, parsley, chives from Garden Bon Bons)
•  Bell peppers
•  Arugula
•  Spinach
•  Summer squash

You may have noticed something a bit different on that list - yes, I am growing cotton this year!  I've never grown it.  But Southern Exposure Seed Company, who has a bunch of really cool heirloom seeds (here), has different types of cotton seeds that grow fibers in different colors!  They were usually (according to the catalog) grown by slaves for their own use in pre-Civil War days because they're considered not as good quality because the fibers are shorter and not as smooth when spun.  They also said in the catalog they feel that everyone should grow cotton at least once in their lives, if for no other reason than to realize what backbreaking work it is to harvest.  But they grow in neat colors like yellow & green!  How cool is that?

Anyway, so yes, I'm growing green cotton (pic here) and hopefully will get enough off of it to spin it on my antique spinning wheel (thanks, Aunt Betty!) and can make...I dunno.  A pot holder?  A hat for Loki?  I probably won't get much of the stuff.  It'll be fun, if nothing else, to see how well it does.  :) 

Alright, time to go feed the kitties.  Hope everyone's doing well!!  Take care and Happy Spring!

Knitting Patterns: Ribbed Stripey Arm Warmers

Savvy Needle Knitting Patterns

Ribbed Stripey Arm Warmers

Sock Yarn: I used Berroco Sox – 50 g will give you 2 arm warmers

Gauge: 7 Stitches x 10 rows = 1 inch on Sz 3 dpns

Instructions (note, these fit a small to average woman's wrists):

• Cast on 56 stitches and join, being careful not to twist stitches
• Knit in 1x1 ribbing for 4 rounds
• Round 5 - 10: Knit all stitches
• Round 11:  At beginning of round, k2tog, knit all stitches to stitch 30, k2tog, knit all stitches to end of round
• Round 12 - 20:  Knit all stitches
• Repeat Rounds 11 - 20 until 50 stitches remain on needles
• Round 21: Rep Round 11 (48 stitches remain on needles)
• Round 22 - 41: Work k2 p1 ribbing
• Round 42: Knit all stitches
• Round 43: Kfb of 1st stitch, Knit 24 stitches, kfb of next stitch, knit all stitches to end of round
• Knit 4 rounds even
• Repeat Rounds 43 & 4 even rounds until 56 stitches are on needle
• Knit 3 rounds even after last increase round
• Next round: Knit 23 stitches, put next 12 stitches on waste yarn, knit remaining 23 stitches
• On next round, knit 23 stitches, and join to remaining 23 stitches, creating a tube with those 46 stitches and leaving the 12 thumb stitches unworked
• Knit 10 rounds even
• Knit 4 rounds of 1x1 rib
• Bind off loosely (I bind off using 2 needles held as 1, since I tend to bind off very tightly.)

THUMB:

• Pick up 12 thumb stitches on 2 dpns  (if you pick up more than 12 thumb stitches to fill in any gaps, be sure to decrease to an even number, so rib stitch will work out correctly.)
• Knit 2 rounds even
• Knit 4 rounds of 1x1 rib
• Bind off loosely and work in all loose ends

Work opposite arm warmer the same.

Knitting Patterns: Simple Textured Scarf

Good evening, everyone!  I'm finally updating my blog!  (Again!  Finally!).  Someone on Ravelry.com asked for me to make some of my knitting patterns accessible again, so here is my pattern for a simple textured scarf:

Savvy Needle Knitting Patterns

Simple Textured Scarf

Yarn: Wool-Ease Chunky - I think I only used 1 ball for it, but you might want to get 2 just in case!

Gauge: 11 Stitches x 12 rows = 4 inches on Size 13 needles in stockinette stitch

Instructions:

Cast on 18 stitches

Row 1 - 10:  Knit all stitches
Row 11: Knit 3, Purl 12, Knit 3
Row 12:  Knit all stitches
Repeat Rows 11 & 12 twice more
Row 15 - 22: Knit all stitches
Row 23: Repeat Row 11
Row 24: Knit all stitches
Repeat Rows 23 & 23 five times
Row 35 – 42 : Knit all stitches
Repeat Rows 11 – 42 until piece measures approximately 6 feet in length.
Final 10 rows:  Knit all stitches.  Bind off loosely.

NOTE:  Once you have the pattern down pat, you can change the length of each section by simply adding or subtracting the repeat rows.  This creates a variety of texture down the length of the scarf.

Enjoy!

Knitting Pictures!!

 I've been very busy crafting stuff lately, especially knitting.  After all, it's about to be that time of year.  Speaking of, it's supposed to get down to 36 tonight!!  I had to cover the garden plants in case it frosts.  Wow!  Of course, it'll probably be back up to 80 by Saturday, but for now I'll pretend to be curled up in front of a fireplace in a cabin in the snowy mountains of New Hampshire.

So...knitting.  Apparently something is in the water here in Texas, because I've been knitting for multiple expectant mothers and corresponding babies-yet-to-be-born. 

There have been baby bibs, baby bibs, and more baby bibs.....

The official Weirdest Shaped (And Biggest) Baby Blanket Of All Time:

With little pink flowers and a green vine!

So I didn't finish these socks very lately, but I had never worn them before a few days ago.  Honestly, I wasn't sure if I'd ever wear them because the colors seemed...a bit much.  But frankly, every time I looked down at my feet that day, I smiled. 

How could you not?  These socks are pure wooly sunshine!

Speaking of knitting, time to finish Bib #385.  Enjoy the cold weather!!

Hope everyone had a great New Year's celebration!

We had a great holiday season, and actually had a white Christmas! And while we enjoyed the snow while it was here - we ended up with a foot! Lovely, but not so easy to get around in.

Thing in Sky!:

Two of Noel's kids came down for Christmas & New Year's, and we had a really nice time. We went sledding:

Please note, this was only about 1/4 of the total length of this hill. It was possible to hit Mach 5 on the sled. Noel & the kids went down at one time.

It didn't end well:

As you can see from the sky, it was a gorgeous day. Perfect for lounging in the sun! Katie demonstrates:

We also went target shooting (Fun family time activities! Speed sledding & shooting stuff!):

Noel demonstrates Proper Shooting Form, and also Proper Serious Face:

Logan does an excellent job, hitting the target really well despite it being his first time. He also has Serious Face down pat:

Katie shows a more elegant clothing option for target practice:


And I, in true form, manage to strike fear into the hearts of many with my blue tassel hat. Call me The Intimidator:

Or maybe The Scary Doofus With a Gun.

What else did we do? Of course, we ate a lot. Including one of my favorite new recipes (not written by me, so I can't take credit): Homemade chicken pot pie! YUM.

All in all, we had a wonderful time.

Now, since this is ostensibily a knitting blog and therefore should feature pictures of my knitting...

Oh wait. I didn't take any pictures of my holiday knitting. Oops. I have been busy with it though. For Christmas, I made 2 sets of accessories for my nieces' American Girl dolls (a poncho, a cape, a hat, and a purse - all my own design, and with no pictures. Great.) I also made some socks for my sister, and am most of the way through another pair of socks, these for my mom. I also did 3 hats.

Now as many of you may already know, each year I like to do some charity knitting/crocheting. It's a nice way to give something handmade to someone who may be having a hard time, and the fact that it's handcrafted means all that much more.

This year, the plan is to make some Snuggles (blankets) for Hugs for Homeless Animals (http://www.snugglesproject.org/). Basically they're simple little blankets that are put into the adoption cages of animal shelters. They provide comfort for the animals while in the cages, and are given with the animal when adopted, so the animal has something familiar in their new home. So sweet. :) They're easy to do, so if any of you are looking for a fun project to work on while the weather's crappy, consider making some Snuggles.

Speaking of animals, 2 certain someones had a good Christmas too. Santa brought them Fancy Feast! (He's got their number, that's for sure!)

Anyway, time to head into the kitchen. Tonight we're having venison stew, courtesy of ol' Davy Crockpot.

Also? It's supposed to snow again tonight! Brrrrr!!!!!

Baby Goats and Demon Cows

The internet has not been my friend the past week. It's wavered between being interminably slow and entirely nonexistent.


However, the Web gods have smiled on me today because lo and behold, I actually seem to be able to access not only the blog, but even upload some photos!! Miracle of miracles, amen.


So this post is a bit of a rewind. Noel is still in Utah, working hard at his new job. The pics on this post are from the weekend before he left (which was 2 weekends ago) when we went to the Mountain State Fair!


We had thought we'd see a lot of animals at the county fair (where I, as a Blue Ribbon Knitter, took a victory lap around the cow pen). Well, we didn't. Not even a rooster in the Rooster Bingo cage. Sigh.

However, the state fair had TONS of animals, and sometimes tons of a single animal!

First off, the cuteness of a family of pigs. :)

(Note: we had bacon for breakfast that morning, but still I fawned over the piglets. I am perhaps a hypocrite.)

This was an interesting display. These oblong metal things? Are pig oilers. Yes, apparently even bacon needs slathering with grease. Just kidding. But not really, because these seriously are pig oilers. They're filled with burnt motor oil and pigs rub up against them, and apparently the oil keeps biting insects away from the pigs. Huh.

The cats are now working on designing their own version, which spits out kitty treats when they rub up against it. Patent pending.

This was one seriously happy Texas longhorn bull. Probably because it's not 197 degrees, like it is in Houston right now. "Hmm...hm...la la la....napping in the sun..."

Now, speaking of large mammals and Texas, remember our run-in with the Devil Cow, which despite Noel's protestations, I am convinced was considering eating us, heart and soul, with his Evil Teeth of Doom? And remember how I was so freaked out when we pulled up next to the fence containing said Devil Cow that I didn't want to stop to take a picture, for fear that looking into its Deep Black Eyes of Oblivion would forever seal a demon's pact for my innocent soul? Remember that?

Well, we saw his brother at the fair:

(Noel is convinced this cow is not evil. He's just not suspicious enough.)

*shudder*

Moving on!

How about some cuteness to combat the Forces of Bovine Evil? How about some baby goats?

They're so fluffy!

Side note (isn't this blog all sides notes?): they had baby bunnies at the fair. I petted one, and it licked my finger with its teensy little pink tongue, and I was in love and wanted to take this 4-inch long bunny with us, but was afraid that (1) the kittens would try to eat him, and (2) I would pet him so much his fur would fall out. So. The sad thing? I was so wrapped up in a gossamer blanket of adulation for this baby bunny that I totally forgot to take a picture. Whoops!

I did get a picture of a MONSTER bunny though! Any of you seen the Wallace & Gromit Wererabbit movie? This was the wererabbit. Has to be. You can't really tell from this picture, but this rabbit had to weigh 15 pounds if he weighed an ounce. HUGE. He was bigger than Loki. For reals.

Speaking of big stuff, some people must really lay on the Miracle Gro, because WOW:


Blue ribbon pumpkin, 736 pounds.

Blue ribbon watermelon, 195 pounds:

And I thought Cukezilla was big:

CREEPY!

There were stylin' old tractors:

And huge tractor things I really want to drive someday:

There's a huge arts & crafts competition for this fair, and sadly I didn't get to enter any items because I missed the cutoff dates. Of course, maybe it's better I didn't, seeing as this was the quilting competition:

Isn't this gorgeous? Done by a guy! It looks like a fancy Tetris quilt to me. Noel liked it too.

This one was also stunning.

And this was a Blue Ribbon winner. Most was probably done by hand, what with all those curvy seams. Impressive!

There was also some lovely knitting. Look at this:

Incredible.

We enjoyed some State Fair Health Food:

Oh yes, it was SOOOOO good.

We also saw a redneck zamboni:

HA HA HA HA! I have to admit, I said that same thing to Noel as I walked up to take this picture, and laughed so hard I snorted. hee hee.

Lastly, this is my favorite picture from the fair. There were lots of llamas in the competitions. Llots of llamas? Anyway, this is a prize llama, and she knows it.


Condescending attitude close-up:


Heee heee!. Don't hate her because she's beautiful.

All's Fair in Love and Knitting!

So as some of you may know, I entered some things into the Madison County Fair, which took place last weekend. I put in my quilt, which (as I related in the last post) had no chance of winning anything. I also entered 6 knitted things, just to see what would happen.

Saturday, we went to the fair to see the action. Sadly, there were no pigs. Noel was very sad. BUT!

There was Rooster Bingo:



We walked around a bit, trying to see what there was to see. Not a ton was on display at the time, except for some cows, sheep, chickens, and horses.

However, excitement was forthcoming in the Arts & Crafts display area!

When we walked in the front door, what greeted us? My quilt!! Hanging on the wall!



I got a few steps into the building before I realized there was something hanging from the quilt, and then squealed when I saw it was a ribbon!!



I had won 3rd place in the hand quilting category!! Can you believe it?

We then went to check out the table with all the knitting on it, and my jaw dropped:



I had won ALL THREE KNITTING RIBBONS. I swept the category! Whoa.

1st place was for a turquoise shrug I made for myself, design by Stefanie Japel.

2nd place was for a baby sweater I made years ago, no idea on the pattern.

3rd place was for a wrap I knit for my mom, pattern by Lionbrand.

SO HAPPY. Poor Noel has had to endure hearing me call myself "blue ribbon knitter" for the past 3 days. Sometimes I call myself BRK for short. ;)

That afternoon was very rainy, so as a Blue Ribbon Knitter I decided to sit for a few moments of quality Blue Ribbon Knitting time on the porch. With a glass of Blue Ribbon Knitter's wine. (see how annoying this gets?)



Nice sittin' spot, huh?

By the way, our porch tomatoes are out of control:



(Held up by Blue Ribbon Knitting yarn, no less).

On Monday, I was able to go pick up my award winning stuff, and went by the fairgrounds. Imagine my surprise when I picked up my quilt, and the yellow ribbon was gone.

GONE.

And in its place? A bright RED ribbon - they had moved me up from 3rd to 2nd!!!

The quilt originally in 2nd was moved down to 3rd. Not sure why - illegal steroid use?

So, my total tally:



I entered 7 items, and 4 of them won. One 1st, two 2nds, and one 3rd.

Yay!!!

In other news, I started my job on Monday and am very much enjoying it. My coworkers are personable and nice, and the work is interesting. Can't ask for anything more!