It's been a while since we had a chicken update, and in early spring, so much of my focus turns to the chickens. In mid February, the chickens get busy (if you know what I mean). Kenny Rogers, our rooster, has turned out to be the best rooster I've ever had. Isn't he handsome? He's an Easter Egger. The girls have been laying lots of lovely blue and green eggs.
For Christmas, Dave got me a new incubator. I promptly used it to hatch a mixed batch of Marans. Here is a White Marans chick. Look at his lovely feathered feet. Too bad he's a rooster.
Yesterday I set 2 dozen green eggs to hatch on St. Patty's Day. The chicks will be a mix of Ameraucanas and Easter Eggers. So cute!
Coming soon...more chicken pictures, and even more knitting projects.
I can't believe I made it through all of January without posting. I've been too busy trying to stay warm.
That's not really much of an excuse, but things have been busy. After 4 years as a member of the Nth Degree Gallery, I've decided to move my studio to the house. This wasn't an easy decision, and I will greatly miss all my studio mates. On the other hand, it's a lot easier to work here at the house, and even though my new studio is technically the laundry room, it actually has a lovely view of the river, and smells like fabric softener. The Nth is in an old building that mostly smells of mold.
Since I've finally settled in here at the house, and reorganized my tools and supplies, I've gotten back into a little crewel work. Her are a couple of new pieces:
I'll be exploring this medium more this year. I have a solo show scheduled for December. This will be my first solo show, and the gallery space is pretty large for my small work, so I better get busy if I want to fill it!
You may be wondering, how did that poor little gummi bear fall into that vat of toxic waste? It's really not that complicated. It's a long, exhausting day at the toxic waste management facility. Bob wanted a snack. He popped some quarters in the vending machine in the break room. Fast forward an hour or so, and you have a 50 story tall, lazer beam shooting mutant gummi bear, hell bent on destroying mankind.
It may not be exactly what the Mayans had imagined, but it's an interesting way to go. You might be able to ride out the Mutant Gummi Bear Wars in your underground shelter. But what will you have left to live for? The post-apolcalyptic world will be a sad lonely place, devoid of laughter and gummi snacks.
Was the snack worth it Bob? Well was it??
Surprise! A FREE PATTERN.
Meet Dinosaur Jr.
He's the cuddliest stegosaurus you'll ever meet. Knit one for yourself! Pattern found here!
This fall is proving to be the busiest season ever, hence the lack of knitting posts. Both my kids have reached an age of epic over-scheduling. Between dance and piano classes, swim lessons, cross country meets, and other various and sorted clubs, I spend a large portion of my day as a chauffeur. The one benefit being that all that waiting in the car does give me a lot of time to knit. Still, I'll be glad when things settle down a bit. Time is flying by, and I feel like we rarely have any downtime to enjoy as a family. They're growing inches before my very eyes, and there doesn't seem to be enough time to enjoy it. Since this is my blog, I think I'll take a little time to shamelessly talk about my kids.
Drew is a sophomore this year. He's a pretty amazing kid. Not only is he a straight A student, but he's a very talented runner. His season on the school's cross country team has been exciting! On top of all that, he's just a really cool person. He's smart and has a dry wit that's as sharp as a machete. Other interesting facts about Drew: he's an avid juggler, speed-cuber (look it up if you need to), and during movies, he talks to the tv as though the characters can hear him. And actually, I guess I need to stop referring to my eldest child as "shortie", seeing as how he's now taller than me. Drew recently started driving too, which is an adventure to say the least. Pedestrians beware!
And then there's my youngest, Sophia. Sophia has just turned 8 this week! She is a delightful mix of creativity, sweetness, and just plain weird. Sophia has the crafty bug already, as evidenced by the random piles of felt scraps and string, and the piles of drawings littering her bedroom floor. Every day is a new project that involves an even bigger mess. But balancing out the mess is a child who has the biggest heart imaginable. A large portion of those papers littering the floor are love notes written to myself or Drew. Sophia also loves climbing rocks and trees, while wearing an interesting ensemble that usually incorporates her loves of knee pads and sequins. In the photo, she is hosting her own version of the olympics, more specifically, her version of fencing. Her opponent was the cat. The cat won.
Despite our busy lives, I'm fighting to find time to enjoy my favorite season. Last weekend we squeezed in a hike. Today is cold and rainy, so we're building a fire in the wood stove and making cookies. Maybe if I'm not too tired after the kids are in bed, I'll get out my needles and finish knitting something.
