Phone blogging

While in the shower. That's how I roll, or at least how I roll today. First, how on earth is it fall again? I have a week until the official start of school, and I am still 100% undecided on curriculum. I am really feeling lost this year. I know what I want to focus on, just not exactly how I want to do it. My third child has a very different learning style, and he has this momma stumped. He wants to learn, and is eager, but nothing seems to be sticking. I love this dear kid. I am very excited to announce that I get to start baby knits!! A dear friend took one for the team. Thanks for that Buddy. I appreciate your willingness to do the whole morning sickness, and getting beautifully yet uncomfortably round for me. Because I know she did this simply for my knitting pleasure. I plan to start with a cardigan in cotton, then move to a sweet little dress... still in cotton. She lives in a place that is a couple degrees above hell. I am pretty sure that means a lot of cotton, with a little alpaca thrown in for sanity. Of course that doesn't mean I won't be knitting a Cardigan on the side for myself. These cardigans... get me..every. single. Time.

Cardigans are evil

The title says it all. They are evil, sneaky little buggers. Here I am, spending some quality time with my friend Ravelry.com looking for a nice pull over sweater to get me through the next few weeks. I am staying focused, and really working hard at finding a lil' something, maybe with some cables. not the breast enhancing cables, but the "I knit this without falling asleep once" cables. Peak here, peak there and WHACK... A ninja cardigan jumps in and makes me want it. A "Right this very second, I have to have it now or I won't live another minute" kind of want. It is wrong, ad they are evil. Just leave me alone beautiful cardigan. I am loyal to this sweater. We were meant to be, if only I could locate it. I suppose it is for the best that we don't mention the lonely man sweater sitting unfinished on my bed upstairs. I suppose that maybe this cardigan knows what I truly need.

The hardest easy knit

Usually a trip to the yarn store is the best thing ever. But sometimes it isn't. Sometimes it is to buy yarn for a very special little angel baby. Today is one of those days. I got a text from a very dear friend this morning letting me know that her sweet little angel had passed. My heart is so broken. No one can fully understand the pain of a loss like this, but we know that it feels like the world has stopped and will never be right again. So today I knit. I knit for a dream that is not meant to be fulfilled here on Earth. I knit because I don't know how to fix this, or how to make it better. I knit because it is the only answer I have. Dear sweet baby, you are loved and will be missed. http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/knitted-burial-bunting

Looking forward to the sheep!

Two days. I have not picked up the knitting in two long days. That is a very rare thing. I have been working on soap. Making soap and felting soap. The Trailing of the Sheep is coming up fast, and I am very excited to attend, and to be a vendor. It is going to be incredible. My BFF Jeannette will be attending with me, of course. My sweet, amazing husband will be staying with the kids. I think there is nothing better than being able to be home with my beautiful children, but I can't wait to spend a couple of days away with like minded adults. I know I will come away better, even if we freeze to death. http://www.trailingofthesheep.org/

Spin-A-Licious!

Saturday I got to spend a huge portion of my day spinning. I was asked to demonstrate at a Heritage Days celebration in another town. I love doing things like this. Some entertaining information about spinning demonstrations: 1.) If a little girls comes up and asks what you are doing, and you explain that you are spinning sheep's wool into yarn, she may not understand the concept and may come back for to eight times and ask you the same questions again. And again. 2.) If a little boy asks if he can try spinning and you say no, that you do not allow others to use your wheel, he may come back thirty to forty times to ask again. And again. 3.) Your daughter's male friend that has been courting her for several years may show up. he may be very helpful and ask that you make sure that your daughter knows exactly how helpful he was. Then you may come home to find that your daughter has been informed that her male friend that has been (and still is may I add) courting her for years has a girlfriend. That he is hiding from her. You may still think he is a great guy anyway though. You just may not want him to continue to court your daughter anymore, not that she was interested anyway. 4.) You may get sunburned. In the shade. 5.) You may get to participate in a "chicken chase" where the prize is... well, a chicken. 6.) You may find that there is a lot of waste from the zucchini boats and that your friend is a wise woman who picks it all up to bring home to feed the critters. 7.) You may find that it is a small, small world and that you will meet face to face a friend's friend that you have become friends with through facebook. You may also find that she owns one of the lambs that you sold to another lady two years ago. You may also find that she brought the ewe with her, and that your ewes make mighty fine offspring indeed. You may also find that her Ravelry name is the same name as your business, which is very clever indeed. 8.) Your best friend may cancel because she has a life. And you may be sad about that. But it will turn out ok. You can get sunburned in the shade without her. Now for knitting: The Gaia is turning out really well. I had planned on sharing pictures, but she had three sets of needles in her, and is being a bit of a contortionist right now. I have the right front, 99% of the back, and 75% of the left front complete. I will finish this last little bit, add sleeves, and a button band, and buttons. Walla, done. (Notice I don't mention blocking. I don't do that whole blocking thing well.)

Skunk in the barn yard

P.U.! This morning I slept in. A lot. I did not pull myself out of bed until 8:00. I admit that I was up and getting the kids breakfast a bit after six, and that I was up with kids more times than I care to admit last night though. I also admit that between 6:00 and 8:00 AM I was out of my bed about 456 times, but I kept on crawling right back in. It was lovely, but alas, I had to get my bum out of bed to start my day. I got dressed and went out to say good morning to the girls. They were all very, very happy to see me. I am sure that it is all because of the deep love they feel for me, and has nothing to do with their very full udders, and empty bellies. I went to get them their hay, and was greeted by a familiar smell. It appears that we have a new pet living in my milking barn. I had my ten year old set a safe trap. I am hoping that we can catch our new pet so that we can safely re-home it. Far, far away. However, I feel fairly certain that I will be releasing several cats before the mighty black and white kitty shows its face. After taking care of that, I cleaned the pasture the girls, and alpacas will be moved into tonight, and then wandered back into the house. I was dragging my feet because I really am feeling lazy, and did not want to come back in and have to start school. I normally adore school, but this morning I was fairly certain that my two year old was smarter than me. Actually, that is probably true on many days, but you get my point. As luck would have it I was spared. I came in to found my kitchen flooded with urine-smelling water. Hmmm. I went upstairs to the boys bathroom, which is directly above the kitchen, to find that the toilet that had not been flushed in at least six years had over flowed and flooded the upstairs. It sure is a good thing that I have a generous kitchen that agreed to take on some of the mess right through the ceiling so that the bathroom didn't have to go it alone. I also found myself in luck. What better excuse to skip school today? Yes, indeed. Nothing is more fun than spending three hours cleaning up a great mess like that.

Well for happy day! Yesterday a Representative from Google called to ask if they could sponsor my business since they are getting more than 2,000 searches a month for raw goats milk in our area. I politely declined. I already have plenty of wonderful milk clients, and .... here is the kicker.... They wanted me to pay them $200 to do it. Um, no thanks. This morning when I went out to milk it was a wonderful kind of fall cold. It was one of those mornings that makes me ever so thankful that the girl's have nice, warm teats. That is one of those phrases I never thought I would say. Nope. Never dreamed I would be talking about how wonderful the warmth of a good teat is on a cold day. Yet another wonderful thing goats brings out in me. I am knitting Gaia. The pattern can be found here: http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/gaia-2 So far I have altered the cast on, the edging, the shaping decreases and increases... oh, and I added some lace to the first few inches. NOW though, now is when I find the real problem. The lace pattern on the breast? It is only on the breast. It goes over the right breast, stops and is st sts across the back, then starts again over the left breast. This I have decided I am not so wild about. Not at all. Especially since I altered the pattern and am doing it in two colors instead of one. I will see how it looks when it is done. I did consider another alteration to continue the pattern across the back. It is totally do-able if only I wanted to work the math for the decreases. *sigh* Pictures to come soon. Notice that I spoke about either tits or teats with both topics today. I guess that means my job here is done.