Spring on the Farm 2015

Spring is in full swing on the farm. I took a few minutes today to walk a bit of the farm to check on our progress. I discovered lots of happy progress.

The grape leaves are still growing and we have lots of TINY grapes beginning to grow. Such a great relief as last year we didn't get any. They had been so overgrown we had to do a major pruning job - and as a result went a year without grapes. We should have lots of grape jelly and wine making going on this year!

The azaleas are in full bloom. Most others around are fading, but mine are just starting. They are quite overgrown, but I didn't want to prune until after they were done blooming. So they will get a haircut in a few weeks.

The blackberries are starting to flower! They are just at the beginning stages of flowering, so I expect they will be super pretty in a few more days. We just need a little more sun and some warm weather.

The peaches have a few fruit 'buds' on them. Considering how much the deer and/or sheep have enjoyed munching on these little trees, I will be surprised if we get anything we can eat. But I will be watching!

My potatoes have FINALLY started to pop up! I was worried we got them too deep and they would not sprout at all. This is the first time we planted them with the tractor. So, like everything else, we have done a bit of experimenting.

The birds are all growing quickly. All of our chicks arrived the end of March. About 125 new birds. The ducks are the fastest to get BIG. Which is normal. We will be keeping a few ducks on the farm this year in an attempt to get eggs.

The meat chicks are hitting their ugly stage. Gone is the cute downy yellow fluff.

The eggs layers are the oldest - and smallest of our 'new' birds. But they will be the prettiest. :) They should start laying late August/September.

The sheep are shedding like crazy. They are mangy looking creatures, but continue to be a joy to have on the farm.

We got a little more work done on the roadside stand. That is a slow process that we work on as time allows. We don't really need it done until mid June, so we are not in a rush.

We are trying hard to get the garden planted. It is a long process as I can only do so much squatting at a time. It is back intensive work. But the first round of all my veggies are now in! Hopefully I will finish the second round over the next week or so. We also need to get the corn and cotton in the ground.

PHEW. I'm tired.

Miss Pearl's Broomstick Lace

I have been working on this crochet blanket for what seems like an eternity. Actually, I started working on it during the 2014 ice storm in NC that left us without power for a few days. But, as the weather warmed up, I stopped working on this project as it was just too hot. Then as the weather started to cool, I started working on it again. I have finally finished this lovely blanket and they kids are fighting over it. Even though it is a lace pattern, it is really warm.

I am fortunate enough to have a wonderful neighbor (Miss Pearl) who is 90 years old. She still lives on her own and drives. I love all the time I get to spend with her. During the time of no power, Miss Pearl taught me this pattern. It was such a surreal experience. Almost as if we had traveled back in time. Of course, Miss Pearl lived without power for many years. It wasn't until 1951 that she had power to her house. Crazy, right? The things I have learned while working on this project have been incredible. The stories she has told...

Anyways, onto the pattern. This is a fairly good size blanket. I am doing it as a scrap blanket - using up lots of odds and ends of yarn. I don't know how much yarn this blanket required - lots. Most of this blanket used partial skeins of all types of yarns. The best I can say is several thousand yards of worsted weight yarn.

You will need a HUGE knitting needle (mine is size 35) or a broomstick handle. Something that is about an inch in diameter and 12-18 inches in length. This will be used to set the size of the 'lace'. Exact size is not important, it will just make the loops bigger or smaller. I will call this the 'point' as that is what Miss Pearl calls it.

Read through all the instructions before you start. There are some notes at the bottom that will help working the entire project. These pictures are all from mid project. The first row of lace will help set everything in motion. Once you have that first row of lace complete, then you can simply work from the previous rows, doing your best to stick to the pattern.

Let's get started!

1. Chain 300 (you may want to use markers along the way so you don't lose count).
2. Single crochet in each loop on the 'return'.
3. Put Loops on the Point: insert hook into first sc, yarn over, pull up loop, put loop onto the point. Repeat in the top of each stitch (and no, I don't count. Just keep going until you can't go anymore). Your point will be full and tightly packed.

4. Do not turn your work. Going back, in the first 2 loops, sc 5 times. The first sc is a little different -your hook is already 'inserted' through the 2 loops. yarn over, pull up loop, yarn over and pull through the one loop on the hook. All other sc will be normal. Since the first sc of each row is really a partial stitch, it makes pulling up the big loops of the lace slightly tricky. the very last loop to pull up will be in the funky stitch. You will see when you do it. Feel free to ask if you run into any problems.

5. In the next 3 loops, single crochet 3 times.
6. In the next 3 loops, single crochet 3 times.

7. In the next 3 loops, single crochet 3 times.
8. In the next 9 loops, single crochet 3 times. (notice, 3 of the loops are from a 3-3 set, 3 are from a 9-3 set and 3 loops are from another 3-3 set.)

9. In the next 3 loops, single crochet 3 times.
10. In the next 3 loops, single crochet 3 times.

11. In the next 3 loops, single crochet 3 times.
12. In the next 3 loops, single crochet 9 times.

13. Repeat steps 5-12 until you get to the end. You should have 2 loops at the very end, single crochet 5 times in these 2 loops.
14. Now you need to put loops on your point again. You simply repeat steps 3 through 13 until you put as many rows on your project as you want.

I wanted to keep my color changes at the ends of rows, as opposed to mid row. But that is entirely up to you. Of course, that means I now have a bunch of little scraps left over. To be a truly scrappy blanket I would simply change as my yarn ran out.

Sometimes, my counts get off. I have no idea why - apparently I don't pay quite enough attention as I am doing this. But this is a very forgiving pattern in which you can hide the mistakes. Make sure the top and bottom of your zig zags line up. Sometimes I do this by using just 2 loops instead of 3 or 7 instead of 9. Just depends on how badly I messed up. Don't worry, no one will notice.

Let me know if you have any questions. It is really a very easy pattern in which you don't have to do a lot of thinking. The best type of pattern as far as I am concerned.

Happy crocheting!

Jill

Crazy Farm

This weekend we welcomed some sheep to our farm! It has been so exciting adding some larger animals to the farm.

Meet Daisy May and her baby Binky (both are white). Binky is about 3 weeks old.

We also brought home Mabel who was pregnant. On Monday, Mabel gave birth to a cut little boy we named Hunter. Hunter looks a bit like a cow. I was lucky enough to witness the birth!! Mabel did a great job and is proving to be a wonderful mother.

About 1 hour post birth

With the addition of new animals to the farm, I have been put into scenarios I never dreamed possible. I also have imagined some scenarios I am SOOOO thankful never actually happened. I have to share these as they have given me some good laughs - now that I know they didn't actually happen and hopefully they never will.

The first came about while Mabel was in labor. Remember, we have NO experience with sheep - or other 'large' farm animals for that matter. I was blessed to witness the birth of a cow a few years ago at a neighbor's farm. There I learned that if the cow labors for 30-60 minutes and doesn't progress, they will help with the birth. Now, here I am watching Mabel move around with a couple of hooves emerging. I figured I should probably watch the clock. After about 20 minutes with NO progress, I was starting to worry (thinking about the cow time frame). I was able to get a vet on the phone, and sure enough sheep have the same 30-60 min time frame. Mild panic starts to surface. Luckily, mama was doing well and in no obvious stress. So, I start to prepare to 'help' mama. I found some gloves and washed them REALLY good. Changed my clothes and took my coat off - wouldn't want to ruin that. All the while I was praying Mabel would be done by the time I checked on her again. No such luck. A little more panic starts to surface. This is a sheep that doesn't know me, it is her first birth, I may need to help her, and I am the ONLY one home. ACK! Time to put my big girl panties on and do what needs to be done as we are now at about the hour mark. I take a few steps towards Mabel and she starts to bolt. Oh crap. I took a step back in hopes she would calm down.  How on earth am I going to hold her AND get the baby out??? So here is where the CRAZY scene pops into my head. Me, straddling Mabel BACKWARDS to try to hold her still while grabbing onto baby and pulling. Meanwhile she takes off running and there I am trying to hold on with all  my might and trying to deliver her baby. It still makes me laugh. Luckily, nature took over and Mabel delivered within another couple of minutes. I think God knew I was in way over my head and gave me Mabel a break. PHEW!!!

2 days post birth

The second scene that never actually happened came on Tuesday (the very next day). After getting home from work I let the dog out and went out to check on the sheep. And yes, I did change my clothes first - the mud on the farm is CRAZY after 2 days of rain. As I approach the area the chickens and sheep are, the dog is going crazy. A couple of steps reveals why - Binky had gotten out of the fenced area she was supposed to be in. Oh crap - again! I need to open a gate and get her in without letting the other sheep or chickens out. The dog needs to be put up as who knows what she is going to do. Daisy May is beside herself as she can't protect her baby. After several failed attempts on my part, Daisy May and Binky are now BOTH on the wrong side of the fence and in danger of getting into a tangle with the dog. Likely that scene was hilarious to watch - I bet we could make millions if we were on tv.  Then I see it - the gates that are my only hope of keeping these sheep contained on the farm are WIDE open. ACK! Enter, crazy scene. Daisy May and Binky running down the road with me chasing them, yelling, and waving my arms trying not to get hit by cars that are FLYING by at 55 mph. Luckily, I was able to get the dog in the house and gates closed before the sheep got out. By the time I got back, my little lovelies were safe and sound back where they belong. PHEW!

Thank goodness nature just took over and the right things happened. Since then, we have been trying to work with them so they aren't so skittish.

Hopefully there won't be any more situations that come up that will cause my panic to rise that much again. But, I'm sure there will. Until then, we will have fun with our newest farm members.

Until next time...

Jill