Friday, February 18, 2005

Winter weather has returned in colder temps and mini blizzards....1 inch in 15 mins and then done and over with, just enough to slick up the roads. But the ducks have decided it is spring as another one has started to layand then another. I got three duck eggs this AM!!

Working on another pair of socks - same pattern bigger needle- I hope to have them done today. But I also am working on a poncho. I saw it on a free sheet at Michaels and said I was going to learn to knit so I could make it. There is a picture of it and pattern at http://www.lionbrand.com/patterns/kwetq-fishermanPoncho.html I am on row 5 - not far but it is a start. I haven't been spinning though. I want to finish the socks and spin up another bobbin and ply it then dye it and start on another pair of socks. They really are addictive as they work up sooo fast. And Lord knows in crafts I want near instant gratification.

Did the seed orders. Did the taxes for me and the two kids just have to write it all out neat and send them in. Made homemade pretzels (the nice big ones) the kids must have liked them as they didn't save any for Curt so I am making another batch now. Started the starter for the friendship bread the kids like. Destashed the fleece/yarn some by giving it away. Three fleece went to Mary, leftover yarn went to MaryAnn. Started cleaning up the green house in prep. for the new growing season. Did all that housewifey stuff like cleaning and laundry and cooking and also worked, did Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, and 4-H! I have kicked butt this week!! I have to go sit down and remember what I ate that might have brought on all this energy to start scratching things off my to do list!

Friday, February 11, 2005

I finally did it!!!

Mom, Curt and I went to shopping on Saturday. I bought Magic Stripes and some double point needles and started a pair of socks on the ride home. I am using a size 2 dpn.....After getting 1/2 done on the first sock I have come to the conclusion....I must have been nuts! So I went looking on the internet for a sock pattern that uses a larger needle. I found a Yahoo group http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FirstTimeSocknittersKAL/ that just started a knitalong sock group for people who have no clue what they are doing but want to knit socks....THAT IS SO ME so I joined it and started another sock with bigger needles. It went sooooo much faster. As you can see below I have finished a pair. They are mine, mine, mine. They have some mistakes but they are mine, mine, mine. I have to spin some of my own yarn now and make a pair out of that.

People are reporting robin sitings...and Mom's daffodils are up about 1 1/2 inches...Spring???? I don't want to get my hopes up. And then there is also the fact that I still have not ordered any seed. Procrastion is my middle name.

Tuesday I took JT to the Doctor and he had strep! He was out of school until the 10th. They checked his ears and did a hearing test. He failed. They said an ear drum should look like a bowl w/ saran wrap stretched across it and JT's looks wrinkled. They said there was very little movement of the eardrum. Where he should be hearing at 25 decibals he hears nothing until 40. He gets re-checked in 3 weeks and if it is not just because of the cold and strep then we are off to the ear/nose/throat specialist!! He has had soooo many ear infections and punctured/ruptured ear drums that it did cause speech probs and he took speech in school for three years to correct it. He has only been getting 1 -2 ear infections a year now for the past 3 years where are before it was 4-5/year.

Thursday took Tori to the Doctors and she has strep. We had to cancel a Girl Scout overnight trip as she was still contagious. So far everyone else is fine and we hope to keep it like that.

I did it!!!!!! Posted by Hello

Wednesday, February 02, 2005

Groundhog Day

From the photo below you can see I finished my first square and it looks like a square. I did it with some homespun light coopworth that Cyndi had given me early last year. I hadn't plied it very well! I finished this at 10:54 pm on January 31. It had to be done in January and Mary had already finished hers. Thats why I wanted someone to do this with me...MOTIVATION!

JT loved his b-day presents. He was suppose to go to Boy Scouts but wiggled that bottom lip to stay home and play with them....You did read "was suppose to" didn't you...Yes he got his way. He is only 9 that bottom lip thing still works.

Living in PA we all know of Punxsutawney Phil. Punxsutawney held its first Groundhog Day in the 1800s. The first official trek to Gobbler's Knob was made on February 2, 1887. According to legend, if Punxsutawney Phil sees his shadow, there will be six more weeks of winter weather. If he does not see his shadow, there will be an early spring.
This all stems from Candlemas Day and was brought over to this country by the Germans. You can read more at... http://www.sacredspiral.com/Database/rome/rome06.html . Their version goes like this...If Candlemas Day be fair and bright,Winter will have another flight. But if it be dark with clouds and rain, Winter is gone, and will not come again. According to the Phil's website (http://www.groundhog.org/) he has seen his shadow 94 times, no shadow 14 times and no record 9 times. And he saw it again today...Trust me it was not sunny at 7:30am...Those news crews with all their lights and cameras were what was causing him to see his shadow. But being optimistic I have decided to have this page as my desktop.... http://holidays.bfn.org/spring/. It is a countdown to spring. I can almost hear the robins and feel the heat of the sun!!!

We kept track of how many eggs the chickens laid for the month of January...it came in at a whooping 208!! Not bad for 7 new and 5 old hens and the temps we had. I am proud of those little babies. I have already decided on this years picks, just have to decide when I want them delivered. Almost didn't get the butcher this year so I need to time things better.

Got a call from brother Kenny last night. He wants to move back home so bad. Said he would help with the farm! God, I love my brother, just wish it were possible for him to move. But since he can't at the time I might be raising a pig for him this year.

Spinning today- first time since before Christmas because of all the bad weather. Can't wait to see what everyone has been working on!!! I finished a hat this morning...directions must have been made for a child although it didn't say so. It fits like a skull cap on me! But soooo soft as it was done with one strand of wool and one of mohair. Guess Tori gets that one!

Well I am off to try something on circular needles- a new frontier to conquer!

Tuesday, February 01, 2005


1st square- Chevron Posted by Hello