Back to Ribbing

After all the ribbing I knit for my Red Rover shrug, you wouldn't think I would be so pleased to be ribbing again.
But I am.  The lower part of the back is done and I am an inch into the ribbing that goes around the entire waist.  My goal is to finish the ribbing today, and then the back in a couple days.
And it isn't even New Year's yet!

Fresh Starts

You know, it was my idea to make 2013 the Year of Sweaters.  And I can set the rules any way I like.
So...while I do have some projects I can pick up and work on for a couple days, who is going to stop me if I want to start my first sweater a couple of days early.  As I often say, there are no knitting police.
So I am swatching again tonight, while watching Irene Dunne in "Love Affair," but tomorrow I cast on.
Sweater number one: the Green Romney Rib Waist Cardigan begins.

Don't Mess With the Words.

I've been pondering, since Christmas Eve.   At our church we have a service of carols before the regular Christmas service.  A half hour of caroling.  I loved it.  Even if I did almost lose my voice before the regular service. 

But I have to say.....I really hate it when the hymnal tries to muck around with the verses and make them politically correct. 
It is not "Good Christian Folk rejoice", it is "Good Christian Men rejoice".  And God rest ye, merry Gentlemen. 
From my time playing guitar and singing I memorized all the real words.  And I get off track when the words are all messed up and made politically correct. 
The Book of Common Prayer does the same thing with the Lord's Prayer.  There is the "real" version and the modern one and we are supposed to alternate each week or so. 
I have to confess, on the week for the modern one, I mumble the real one.  Same with the songs.  I sing the real traditional words, at half volumne.
Don't mess around with traditional lyrics and prayers.
There, I've had my say.

Christmas Mittens

After a quiet Christmas dinner at home with most of the family I finished my lined Black Boku Mittens.  (Oldest Son always works the holidays.  The cattle must be cared for.) The mittens should have been done long ago, but I was finishing reading The Lord of the Rings.  I had started reading it many times, but this time was able to finish, thanks to my Nook. 
I find I read more, as well as more classics, when reading on my Nook. 
And now that mittens and book are done, I am reading something lighter, and preparing for my Year of Sweaters.
I washed and dried the green Romney handspun.  And the skeins are all wound and waiting. 
I think I will take the little leftover skein and start to swatch.  And work on a few WIPS too.

Preparations

I have picked out the first sweater pattern for 2013. It is Rib Waist Cardigan, by Rita Moreno and it is in the book Curvy Knits 2.  (edited--designer is JILLIAN Moreno, not Rita.  :-b.) I have been admiring the pattern for some time.
So with the pattern in hand, I surveyed the stash. And the winner is green handspun Romney. Home-grown and dyed by my friend Sue Ann (AKA the Sassy Red Ewe) and spun by me.
So today, the wool took a dip and after soaking, was hung to dry in the drying rack in the tub.  I haven't dried this much yarn at one time before.  But it should done in plenty to time to wind before New Year's Eve.
And maybe even swatch!

Knittin' Mittens

After finishing my shrug, I have been busy knitting my new mittens. 
Black and gray Boku (a wool silk blend), gray Kid Melange (a fine mohair), and lined with some Socrates (white alpaca/merino/bamboo/nylon blend).  Nice and toasty.
Below is a picture of one mitten with no lining yet, and one inside out with the lining in progress.
So for now, back to "White Christmas", with Bing and Danny and Rosemary, and the mittens.

A Finished Shrug

I really need to update the sidebar here to show my finished projects.  Because not only is Jac's jacket done, so is the Red Rover Shrug!
As you can see in the pictures below, I decided to go with a closure of a couple crocheted chains.  I always knew with "the girls" that I would need help keeping the shrug some what closed.
As I work on my lined mittens I am mulling the sweater choices.  I have two handspun yarns, and two patterns that I am trying to decide between.
In the meantime I have finished one mitten shell, and will finish the second before starting the linings.
But more on that next time.

What's New?

Well, I finished the Red Rover shrug yesterday.  Seams sewed and everything.  So of course I cast on something new. 
Mittens!  I have been wanting new ones for my black coat.  The yarn below is the black/gray Boku is the main yarn, the gray mohair is knit along with the Boku above the cuff.  And and I have white alpaca sock yarn, Socrates that will be the lining.
These will be nice comfy mittens.

A 2013 Knitting Plan--Sweaters?

While I frequently wear my shawls, I came to the conclusion that perhaps next year, I should concentrate on making sweaters. I can get my shawl and sock fix by finishing some of my Works In Progress. But I can always use more sweaters.

And it isn't as though I haven't knit a few sweaters before.

 

I've knit vests and baby sweaters. And since I can whip them out in two weeks, that still would allow for random baby presents.

I can do that. And mostly out of stash yarn, and at least a couple out of handspun!

Assuming the Mayan calendar doesn't get us before then.

Here's hoping!

 

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A Final Look

A few buttons to sew on and I will be ready to pass along Little Guy's Baby Surprise Jacket.
After sorting through the button box, I ended up needing to buy some buttons.  I had some wonderful yellow ceramic buttons but not enough.  So I found these sunny buttons.
Then on to the next project.

Best Friends, Sorta

Lizzie and Leonardo are beginning to become great playmates. They run and chase and even sleep next to each other. Lizzie hasn't had so much exercise since I adopted her.

The biggest problem is bed time. Lizzie doesn't like to have Leo attacking her tail. And of course Leo thinks Lizzie's tail is a big fluffy cat toy.

Yup, they like to play, but bed time is hard.

Hiy yah!

Let the games begin.

 

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Remember the Resoleable Socks?

Way back last January I started these socks for Hubby to use while snowplowing.  With the utter lack of snow, and with lots of other knitting, they were put on the back burner.  I picked them up occasionally but they were slow going, through no fault of their own. 
Yesterday however, I had a couple hours to kill before picking up Younger Son from work.  So since these were entirely out of yarn purchased at the yarn shop in that town, I took them along and waited and knit at the yarn shop.
(I may have purchased something too, but I'm not confessing to anything.)
In the evening I finished the first sock.
Let's hope the second doesn't take another 11 months.

Harvest Time

A few days ago, Oldest Son harvested his corn. He had planted corn on one of our small back fields. What a year to try to grow corn, with the drought and all.

Lucky for him, that field is one of our wettest fields.

While I didn't get to ride along, I did manage to get some pictures before it was too dark. And the deer did leave him with enough to sell.

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A Weather Rant

Tis the season, so they say to be jolly. But I have problems with the weather we have been having.

all I want is seasonable weather. I mean after all it is December!

I mean what is it with all of these people who hate the cold and snow? And frequently they are the ones bemoaning global warming. Don't they realize I want seasonable weather? They are practically begging for global warming when the temps warm up.

I on the other hand prefer the seasonable late falls we once had. When almost every day of deer huntIng season had snow on the ground. When you could make snowmen all winter and go sledding whenever you felt the urge.

So,all you crazy lovers of global warming, remember that you are killing the planet while I support cooling the planet.

So there!

 

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Off the Needles

Those on FaceBook may have seen these pictures of the semi-finished Baby Surprise Jacket for Torri's Little Guy. 
The first is the sweater fresh off the needles.  That strange shape that is hard to imagine as a sweater.
Next to that is the same sweater, but folded into shape.  Just two little seams, weave in beds and add buttons.
Easy peasy.

The End is Near!!

This is good thing and a bad thing.
For one thing, its the last day of the month.  This is my last post for November.  The end of the month of daily postings.  Yea!  Maybe now I can actually get some knitting done.  And maybe even wash the dishes! 
Not that I haven't been knitting and doing dishes, but this made a good excuse.
But the other thing is that between fiscal cliff, Mayan calendar, election, and Tax-megeddon looming on the horizon, I have been feeling rather negative about the future.
Maybe not an end of everything, but it seems like the outlook for the future is gloomy.  I feel like breaking into the song they sang on the "Hee Haw" television show years ago: 
Gloom, despair and agony on me.
Deep dark depression, excessive agony!
If it weren't for bad luck, I'd have no luck at all.
Gloom despair and agony on me.
So excuse me while I go sit under a cloud somewhere.

Almost At an End

Once again, I will be brief.
But, I am nearly done with Little Guy's Baby Surprise Jacket.  And almost done with my month of daily blog posting.
And may I add...if it had not been for the second, the first would have been done by now!
And now, excuse me while I get back at it again.

Making Progress

As you can see, I am chugging right along on Little Guy's BSJ.  I am on the short rows, and then I just have seventeen rows after they are finished.
So I think I will be brief here and return to my regularly scheduled knitting.
See ya.

At Least There is Snow in the Village

Our history center has been decorating for winter.  One of our volunteers gave us her Christmas Village.  We spent all last Friday spreading out the snow batts and setting the houses, stores, trees and people around just right.
Then my boss lady decided we better put the lights in the buildings.
Sigh.  Never let it be said that we did things the easy way.
So today we burrowed holes in the fleecy snow and ran the cords from each building.  Since we also received a package we used the chunks of styrofoam to make a few hills.
There are cords galore.  More than we have outlets for, but it is looking great.
At least it looks like winter in the window.

Knit Worthy, Part 2

While putting Little Guy's Baby Surprise Jacket on the back burner for a few minutes, I wanted to revisit yesterday's topic.
Knitting is something I do for fun.  I like to make my own kniting plans.  Things like Little Guy's sudden appearance don't upset me, as I was planning on knitting his BSJ anyway.  And sweaters for kids are something parents usually appreciate.
In most cases I don't even mind being asked to knit something, especially if I have time.
But there are some, not particularly close friends that sometimes ask for a knit project.  Sometimes they want something that I just finished for myself.  They are usually non-knitters, who have no concept of the time involved.  Or the expense if it is good wool.  Or the care involved with wool.
These are not usually someone I want to do something like that for.  It would not be fun knitting.
Calll me self centered, but they would be not knit worthy.
Now, back to my knitting.  And Pride and Prejudice, followed by Wuthering Heights.
I love old movies.

Knit Worthy, Wool Worthy

As knitting away on the Baby Surprise Jacket for Little Guy, I got to thinking about knitting for others.
For example, I never knit for for my guys.  For one thing, they would not appreciate it.  Nor would they be careful with whatever I knit them.  Far from wool worthy, they would not even be considered knit worthy.  My boys especially tend to leave their hoodies and/or coats all over the county.
Other friends I trust with wool.  I have gifted some shawls and scarves.  I have knit sweaters and shawls for some of my fiber friends.  I know they appreciate wool.
And while I know babies would appreciate fine wool, for their mother's sake, I usually stick with washable wool blends, even if they are wool worthy.
But back to my BSJ for Little Guy.   I am steaming right along.  The sleeves are nearing the end, and I will soon start increasing.  There will be more white stripes and a few yellow stripes once the arms are finished.  I like how they stand out against the blue tweed.
I know I doesn't look like a baby sweater yet.  That is the magic of the Baby Surprise Jacket.  It is fun watching it develop.

A Baby Surprise for a Surprise Baby

Well, the baby wasn't a total surprise. The parents knew he was coming.  In fact they were hoping he would be a few days early, to avoid a new co-pay period from kicking in.
The Little Guy decided to cooperate in a big way, choosing this morning over his January 4 due date.  According to his tired mama, he seems ok and weighed in at a respectable size.
Of course, the unexpected November birth caught this knitter by surprise.  I was planning on not starting his sweater until mid December.
I started the classic BSJ, (Baby Surprise Jacket, an Elizabeth Zimmerman creation) this morning. 
Little Guy, I'm knitting as fast as I can.

A New Affliction?

I seem to have had a sore thumb recently.  And it has been happening fairly often. 
I was blaming it on the weight of the Leftover Pi shawl while working on that.  But now I think it is perhaps something else.
I notice it hurting while texting.  Not that I text that often, but I have been blogging everyday, mostly on my phone.  I read Facebook and I follow a lot of blogs on Google Reader on my phone. I notice that using my phone in my right hand has been a bother. (I am a leftie.). And probably my iPad hasn't helped things.
Is,there such a thing as Texting Thumb?

The Home Place

This picture is looking towards Hubby's home farm, which is just down the road from where we live now.

The picture was taken a few weeks ago, on a dreary day, when I happened to notice the rainbow ending on the farm.
Actually while then land shown there was all his parents farm, the next owner sold the home and barn with a small parcel of land and built a pole barn and set a modular that shows on the right center of picture.
But the large white barn, with silo is part of the old home place.
I do love being close to the heritage of our families.  The home Hubby's father grew up on is just a couple miles away, owned by the grandparents who came from Germany.  His mother's was a few more miles farther west.  My family came from different counties, but both ended up in our county.  My brother and sister-in-law live in the next township.  Even my most far flung nephew and his family still live in the same state.
I am thankful for family, and heritage.  Freedom and faith.  Rural living and (some) technology.
Thank you everyone who reads and follows my musings.  You are appreciated too.

Conumdrum

I am in a bit of a puzzle.  A conundrum if you will.
I am not doing a big deal for our Thanksgiving meal.  Knowing my Older Son, no one alive would be able to get him off either a tractor or combine, so I don't expect his smiling (?) face. 
I am just having a humble menu of turkey breast cooked in a big crock pot, ditto for the home-made from scratch stuffing. Some baked sweet potatoes and some baked beans popped in the oven late. Cranberries--either jell or sauce; I got both.
And aside from pie, not much else.  But I want to make the pie tonight--pumpkin of course.  The hard part there is keeping it till tomorrow.  Hubby regards baked goods as a challenge to eat before bed time.  I suppose I could make two, or a large for tomorrow and a small for tonight.  I have to mix pumpkin for almost two pies to have enough for one full pie, so that wouldn't be so bad.
But, after the baking, I will still need to keep him out of one.  Would it be easier to bake pie tomorrow instead? 
Maybe I will go for two tonight.  And perhaps bake the Razzleberry one tomorrow that has been hiding in the freezer.  Just for insurance you know.
And if Razzelberry won't get Older Son out of the corn field, nothing will.

The Closing

I haven't posted much this past summer about the recently ended NASCAR season.  But.....wow! 
I suppose I shouldn't have been quite so surprised.  After all Jimmie was not the champ last year, Tony was.  That 2011 race, ending in a points tie was great. 
but this year Jimmie was back with a vengeance.   But I do think it was nice to have a Michigan guy win the championship.
Now I need to watch for the banquet to be televised.  And wait for next season.

Doubling Up

The stitches have been doubled on the Red Rover Shrug.  If you look closely at the picture, you will see a small white marker.  That marker makes the start of the return to knit two, purl two ribbing for the next 40 rows.
Of course those rows are now twice as long as they have been.  But I remain hopeful that I can finish it this month.
So I better go pick up the needles.

Happy Birthday Blog!

Today marks the five year birthday of Farmmom's Musings. Yup, this little blog has been rolling along since 2007. I planned to share my knitting and farm life with anyone who happened to join in.

Near the end of that year I was completing a February Baby Sweater for my nephew's baby.

I still went to breakfast on Saturday with my crazy Aunt Glenna. Santa joined us that year too.

Older Son and Younger Son were still at home driving me crazy. Here they are on the "slowmobile" they had running one winter.

Hubby still finds ways to baffle me at times. This is what happened when Hubby got a brush hog and didn't stay far enough away from an extension cord.

I don't think I will run out of things to share for another five years.

 

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Just a Little Bull

Since there has not been a lot of progress on the Red Rover Shrug, I thought I would share a picture of Speckles, our new bull.  The old bull has gone to a nearby Amish farm, to frolic with some heifers for the winter.  We get one less mouth to feed.  They, hopefully, will end up with some red Holstein calves in next summer.  After he comes home and makes up with his girlfriend here, he will be sold to another farm.  After that Speckles will be able to have his turn.  That fickle cow.
Not quite sure what breed Speckles is.  Sort of like a red Holstein, but he has a beefy look to him.  Thick legs and neck too.   Any ideas as to the breed?  Of course as always, Lizzie thinks we got him to be her playmate.
Still about seven inches of 1 X 1 ribbing on the shrug before I can double the stitches again.  Leonardo thinks he is a great help.  The reality is, not so much.  So while he is sleeping, I think I will go knit now.

Long and Lean

After having two rather short chubby dogs, including my current Lizzie, having a long lean Siamese has been enlightening.   While both Gilbert and Lizzie tended to be built like me, but still enjoyed a chance to run and play.  An adolescent cat is in a whole other activity level.  And I love it.
Watching Leo go from crouching on my footstool to a full out flying leap to the other side of the room, just to terrorize the old cat is a delight.  And when he melts into a pool purring fur is equally fun.  I'm glad I brought him home.

The Country Life

Have I mentioned before how much I enjoy living in the country? As I drove into work this morning the co-op had a long line of tractors, wagons and trucks waiting to unload their loads of corn.

The Bi-Polar Combine, at co-op during the Harvest Festival this past October

Outside at home on the farm, while walking Lizzie, could hear the sounds of gunfire, signaling the annual rites of fall: Opening Day. Even though there are several special hunts prior to this, (Youth Hunt, bow season and who knows what) November 15 is marked by bright orange coats, deer camps, and the occasional deer being page added around town in the back of a pickup truck.

The smell of fall is everywhere. Some good--the good earthy smell of fields being cut up while harvesting. Some not so good--as the liquid manure pits get emptied before winter. (Whew"!)

Life continues. Happy fall.

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Another Day, Another Post

Well, here it is day 14.  I've been posting every day, all month.  Actually, I also posted on October 30 and 31, so that means I have already made it 16 straight days.
Which is why after all this time, you are getting a bit of drivel and nonsense.  Now let me post this and get back to knitting and The Maltese Falcon.
Thank you.

Growing Ribs

Despite Leonardo's helpful assistance, my Red Rover shrug is growing merrily along.
Of course being at Knit Nite tonight helped.
As did Leo's lengthy nap with Hubby on the couch helped too.
I am past the half way point of the middle section, so I have clear sailing from here.
Yippee!

Training Session

You may have noticed a lack of knitting content here on the old blog.  The reason has four creamy paws and loves wool.
I can't really blame Leonardo for his good taste.  I mean who can blame him?  It's hand-spun, Navajo-plied wool in a glorious handpainted red.  Yummy!
So, Leo is learning some restraint.  I am learning patience. 
But I really want to finish my Red Rover shrug this fall.  We'll see who cracks first.