Free Motion Quilting

I've spent the past few days discovering the art of free motion quilting. I love my little Brother Innovis 900D sewing machine. I've had it for almost 2 years now and have yet to fully explore all its capabilities. I'm almost embarrassed to admit that. I purchased it because I wanted the free motion quilting capability along with a bit of embroidery and of course, all the basics to boot. She's certainly not a Husqvarna Viking (I drool over those machines like a dog drools for bacon), but she had all the features I was looking for. Above you can see my first attempts at using the free motion quilting utility. If you look close enough, you can see all the ripple-like stitch through the blocks; that's all done on the fly. No pattern, no lines, just your imagination. I kind of dove into it with the piece on the left, not knowing how it would turn out. It's trickier than you would think as you have to coordinate eyes, muscle memory, concentration, stitch speed, and patience. But the outcome was well worth the time spent learning. I'm going to try to spend a little bit of time each day improving on this technique. I was amazed how many resources are out there, including videos. For those interested, I found this website which not only describes 300+ patterns, but gives you a video tutorial as well. My hat's off to this girl for all the time it must have taken to create these. The above objects are meant to be scarves, with one of them made as a Christmas present for 'someone'. I can't mention names yet, because they just might see this blog post before then.

The baby buns are doing well and growing fast. They no longer bury themselves in their nest, but wander about, snuggling up to mamma buns when sleep overcomes their curiosity. As far as I can tell, all their eyes are open now. I try to handle them a little bit each day, hoping that this will get them ready for the trip they are about to make up north tomorrow. I suppose it's not ideal to move them around, but I can't leave them alone for a week, so they are coming with. We rarely travel with the farm. Note to self: plan breedings away from travel dates. Live and learn. For now, I still have loads to get done in preparation for the trip tomorrow. I think it's going to be a late night.

I baked A LOT of cookies this weekend!

Oh, and two sweet potato pies! I didn't take pictures of those though...

FO: (More Than) 198 Yards of Heaven

This was a lesson. I had never knitted a lace-like pattern before, let alone an actual shawl. I have to say, I'm pretty proud of myself for completing a project like this. For those of you who don't know me well enough, I have a tendency to start many projects and few ever really get finished. I was a determined knitter this time. This was also the first item that I ever blocked before. I wish I would have taken at least one picture of what the shawl actually looked like before being blocked. You can't really see any of the lacey pattern. Blocking involves wetting the object then stretching it out to create what you see in the pictures and letting it dry. That's what these pictures show. I did modify the pattern just a bit; mainly to make it longer, then followed some other Ravelry knitters mods to finish the border. Many thanks to them for all they helpful instructions. The pattern is not intended for beginners (in many ways I still am), but you can always find help on Ravelry.

The second best thing about this shawl is that it is 100% processed by me (outside of being shorn). I washed, carded, spun, then knit. It took about a month to complete, but boy is it ever warm!

BTW - the buns are doing just fine. We do have a runt and are supplementing his feeding, but he's going strong. So I'm hopeful that he will grow up healthy and happy. More on them later...

Arrival of the Baby Buns

She did it! Mrs. Buns is finally Mamma Buns, and we couldn't be more pleased. This is her second attempt at a successful kindling (giving birth to baby bunnies = kits). I think she's got it down now. We brought her in Sunday night and set up a cozy spot for her in the basement. We figured this would be the perfect spot - quiet, constant temperature (not too hot, not too cold), little disturbance. She almost immediately took to nesting. By Tuesday she had plucked her belly clean. Honestly, I knew that they plucked their own fiber for the nest, but never in my wildest dreams would I have thought that they actually plucked SO much! I was amazed! She lined herself a good nest and early this morning birthed six beautiful kits. By the time I got up, she had them all cleaned up and carefully divided in two little pouches of her nest. It was like waking up on Christmas day at the age of 9 (I got my first chinchilla then). I can't wait to watch them grow up.

Handmade Christmas

I'm so happy with our Christmas tree this season. This is our first tall tree! I've been working the past few months on some origami ornaments and decided to take what I've made adorn our tree. Many of our Christmas's have been 'handmade'. I wouldn't have it any other way. There's nothing nicer than knowing that someone put the time and thoughtfulness into your gift. I find handmade, up-cycled, or even re-gifted presents to be some of the one's that I cherish the most.

So I'm going with that theme again this year and following suite with a 'handmade' Christmas tree.

I just finished creating my own garland for the tree this evening. This was an idea I got from a gift that my wonderful mother made for me a few years ago. It's very simple and fairly quick and easy to do. Especially if you've got multiple pairs of hands to help.

I used two strings of 60 LED lights and four yards of homespun fabric. The fabric was cut into 6 inch by 1 inch strips and tied between each of the lights. That's it! So simple, yet so beautiful!

Give it a try! And if you are interested in making the origami stars, here is one of many web tutorials.

A Farming Movement

As I was reading one of my favorite blogs this morning, it got me pondering on some of the other blogs I follow, and some of the people that I've met and become acquainted with the past few years. Maybe it's just because this is what I've chosen to surround myself with, but I'm starting to see the 'movement'. The farming movement. People making a conscious choice to do something better. To live off the land. To take the bounty that God has given and run with it. Against all odds and the knowledge that they could fall flat on their faces, they jump right in hoping to make a better future for themselves and those to come after them. We all have our own reasons, but I think we work for a common goal. And for those who cannot themselves farm, there is more of a support of our local farmers and CSAs.

This is a good feeling.

R.I.P. Deliah

We lost Delilah yesterday to (we think) another hawk. Her poor little body was found last night. We first thought it was one of our rooster chicks, but found this morning that he was in the coop and she was not. Not that I wish to lose any of my silkies, but we have three roosters and only two hens; now one. Delilah was a wonderful girl. She was ridiculously broody, something silkie hens are well known for. She hatched and raised two clutches of eggs this year and was the best mom a chick could hope for. Each time she'd finally get them off on their own, she'd be right back in the box waiting for more eggs. She lived to be a momma hen and will be greatly missed.

This morning when I left for work I found a hawk standing over what was left of Delilah's feathers (we picked her up last night). I walked right up to it and could of picked it right up. Seems weird for a hawk to let someone get that close. We stood and stared at each other for a good long while before it finally flew up to the fence post only 5 feet away then up into a nearby tree when I told it to leave my chickens alone. Not that I think it'll listen. In September I had 12 silkies; I am now down to only 4. I guess they are just easy prey. I keep thinking that the hawks should have migrated by now. However, when I checked in my Peterson Field Guide there are still a few that are year-round residents. I hate to keep them all "cooped" up. They love to be out free-ranging, but don't want to lose anymore. Any suggestions??

Victorian Farm - A MUST See!

I've just finished this series, and it was absolutely wonderful! If you, like me, have an interest in living a simpler life, a life of old, seemingly long and forgotten, you will love this. The documentary was shown on BBC in 2009, spanning six, hour long episodes. However you can find the series on YouTube broken into 36 roughly 10 minute segments.

The story follows a British team of three who recreate the lives of those living in the mid-19th century for one year. They must learn to farm, cook, and survive only on the resources available during this time period. You get to share in their struggles and triumphs, watching them grow crops, raise livestock (sheep, pigs, chickens/ducks, a dairy cow), cook, clean, and fellowship with others of this era. People were so connected to the land, their animals, and others; something I think we've unfortunately lost over the years.

We're Expecting!

Okay, so maybe not it the way you think "expecting". Meet Bracken! The newest addition to our 'farmily'. She comes from one of the many beautiful animals at Highland Alpaca. And she is expecting her second cria in September of 2011. The gestation for an alpaca is about 11.5 months. Her first cria, Blayberry, is a gorgeous bay black. We can't wait to see what this cria will bring. Her herdsire, Enzo, is pictured below. He's such a handsome boy. It's really going to be hard waiting another 9 months to see who pops out.

Life on the farm hasn't been dull. It never is. Each weekend is always packed full of something. Last weekend I plucked both of my angora rabbits. I'm getting much better at it. Poor Mr. Buns no longer loses ALL of his fiber. And I've finally figured out how to keep all the fibers going in the same direction; just in case I want to sell some of my angora in the future. It's a learning experience. And if you expect to go into it knowing how to do everything perfectly, you'll be sadly disappointed. It's certainly not rocket science, but it does take a little practice.

In my 'spare' time, I've been working on knitting a shawl that I saw posted on another blog that I enjoy (it is also available as a free download here on Ravelry). I've been using the alpaca fleece below to spin and knit it from. It's the fleece I picked up at a fiber festival in Ohio this summer and is absolutely wonderful to work with. I'm hoping to have it finished by Thanksgiving so I can wear it. I'm down to the last set of rows before I start the border. I will need to spin up some more fiber for it though, so it is taking a bit longer than I had hoped. I'll post pictures once it's done.

It's been hard to believe that winter is upon us as we've had a late Indian Summer. This weekend has been beautiful (except for today's rain) and the temperatures unseasonably warm. I have a feeling that this isn't going to last too much longer. I'm okay with that. I don't mind that changing seasons. Sure winter can hang on longer than we like some years, but it's a nice time to rest, slow down, and focus on the things that really matter.

Etsy Shop Reopening!

I've finally re-opened my Etsy shop! And it's about time. I've been...err...collecting finished projects. There are a bunch; I'm starting with posting some of my fiber and then moving on to some of the other handmade goods. I'll have everything from yarn to fiber projects (and carded batts coming soon!) to clothing and origami. I have too many creative outlets. Life is never dull that way. If you are a knitter and/or crocheter you will definitely want to check it out. My favorite fiber to spin is ALPACA! And if you've never worked with it...you are in for a treat! It is amazing and oh so warm!

On a different note, the farm has kept us busy. Mostly with the chickens. We've lost a couple to the hawks (which is very sad) and there seems to be some sort of upper respiratory infection going around. Most seem to be responding to the antibiotics and colloidal silver pretty well, but it's heart-wrenching (for a chicken-lover like me) to watch them suffer through the snots and sniffles. And if you know us well enough, you would know that antibiotics would be a last resort. Some might say to cull the sick ones (others, the whole flock), but THAT would be the absolute last resort. Those only mildly affected are still outside; others who are a bit worse for wear are brought into the house...a sort of chicken hospital.

Mrs. Buns tricked us with yet another false pregnancy. I'm not sure yet if I will breed her again.

On a happier note, I will hopefully have news of a NEW ADDITION to our farm family soon! So stay tuned!

Mother Earth News Fair 2010

This past weekend I attended the first ever Mother Earth News Fair in Seven Springs, PA. It was a blast and I heard that there were over 10,000 people who attended! I would believe that; it was quite crowded. They had a little bit of something for everyone, from crafting and fiber to new wind turbine designs, beekeeping, bread baking, and chickens. And that's just the tip of the iceberg.

I love watching the working dogs! I don't know if there will ever be any hope for my Old English Sheepdog, Kenai. I've never seen them actually used in herding, but he's got the instinct. I asked this lady above if she'd ever seen an OES herd before, and she said, "no", and indicated that they were harder to train. I would believe that; Kenai is quite stubborn though VERY smart. I've also read that they herd more by size than stare, like the Australian Shepherds and such, and require more interaction from their handler (unlike the Aussies). I still love my OES most! They are great dogs, none the less.

Above is a newer design for a wind turbine called the WindTamer. It is supposed to create a vacuum that makes harvesting the energy from the wind more efficient. Or at least that's what I've gathered. It was neat to watch how it swayed and angled itself with the direction of the wind. There was virtually no sound either! This could be promising as it seems that many have complained about the noise that the larger turbines make with their massive height and blades. The WindTamer does not have to be placed at such a great height either. I will be interested to receive information from this company as we have dreams of being off grid....one day.

Summer's End

Summer was busy and flew past quickly like usual. The farm continues to change, if only subtly. We raised about 25 chicks, and here's what I learned:

Let Mother Nature do the work.

A broody hen is worth more than her tiny eggs.

Chicks in your basement are messy.

Chicks in your basement will raise your electric bill significantly.

Too many roosters, is too many roosters.

The color of your peep is not a good indicator of what it will look like when fully grown.

And lastly, let Mother Nature do the work!

My wool processing skills have jumped leaps and bounds this summer too. This does not mean that I am in any way, shape, or form what you would call a 'professional'. But it means that I now have the ability to process my fiber from start to finish; raw fleece to yarn; all on my own. I no longer need that middle man. My husband got me a carder for my birthday. That was the key ingredient. We then build a huge 4 foot by 8 foot drying table. I can wash and dry an entire fleece at one time. How wonderful! I even knit my very first pair of mittens from shetland sheep that I hand spun. It's a good feeling to know that you were able to produce an article of clothing all on your own. It means I'm one step closer to being more self-suffient. Even if it's only a small step.

The garden was a big success this summer. I was especially glad in that it was truly the first ever garden I've planted (I too find that hard to believe). We didn't get to can as much as we had liked, but we have pickles to last an entire year! They sure were plentiful. Though just about everything has died back out there, we still have a few little yellow squash hanging on along with an eggplant. Our crop included: organic corn, sunflowers, green peppers, jalapenos, tomatoes, sweet potatoes, many other potatoes, beets, cucumbers, yellow squash, and zucchini. It was a good year.

So now I bit summer a last farewell and welcome the fall equinox with a glad heart. It's been a hot one, and I'm ready for those cooler days and hillsides ablaze with color.

What's Growing in Your Worm Bin?

{acorn squash seeds from dinner 3 weeks ago}

Sun and Moon

It's been ridiculously hot and humid the past few days. So much so that I lost a silkie peep because of it. One of our little gray babies. There are two other runts that are questionable as well. They were hatched a couple of days after the other ones, so they are still little runts. Though it has cooled of significantly since last night's series of rain storms, I still took them in for most of the day to try to get them hydrated and fed a little bit. The one can't seem to keep itself awake; the other seems to be peeping along better. I thought I would bring them back out with their mamma and brothers and sisters and see how they do. I will bring them back inside if I have to, but nothing will ever compare to being raised by the mamma hen. I'm sitting outside as I type keeping a close eye on the situation. All the other chickens seem very curious about what I'm doing. Crooked Beak even spent some time sitting on the arm of my chair watching for a bit.

Tonight's the full moon. I think, just maybe, my moon flower (above) is going to bloom. I've also heard these referred to as Jacob's Trumpet. Perhaps because they produce these magnificent white flowers. The plants and garden have enjoyed the rain immensely. One of my sunflowers also stared to bloom today as well. How fitting it would be to have the sun and moon all in one day.

Silkie Babies!

(so cute!)

(my favorite so far)

(peeking out from under mamma hen)

(just hatched)

(7 hatched, 5 more to go)

Gardening, Grilling, and a Gorgeous Summer Day

(starting sunflower head)

The past couple of days have been gorgeous now that the heat wave has passed! The mornings are cooler, giving way to the mid-80s by afternoon. It's acceptable, I'll give it that. My perfect temperature is still anywhere between 60 and 75, but I'll take the mid-80s over pushing 100 any day.

The garden is coming along well. Much better than I would have ever thought. The sunflowers and corn are taller than me and already showing flower heads and silk (respectively). I'm very pleased. I have to admit, I was a bit intimidated by the thought of planting a garden this year. I remember helping my mom as a little girl in her garden, but many years went by without one. I inherited my mom's green thumb, but still have never planted my very own garden before. Sure, there's all sorts of science behind it, but it really can be as simple as popping a seed in the ground, watering it, and watching it grow. We've already reaped some of the harvest with fresh zucchini and cucumbers for dinner tonight. It might be small by comparison, but it's thriving despite the heat. Let me give you a closer tour...

(Sunflowers from outside the fence)

(Cucumbers, Zucchini, and yellow Zucchini Squash)

(overflowing tomatoes - hoping to can some)

(sweet potatoes)

(beets and other varieties of potatoes)

(cornsilk, folks!)

We also decided to move the compost pile closer to the garden for easier access and better lawn aesthetics. It was on a small hill just above the chicken coop. The chickens loved to dig through it, making a huge mess that I raked up each evening. The plot that our landlord left for our garden is slightly triangular and sloped. We used the bottom square for the garden and the top now holds our compost. I think it looks much better, and the chickens wasted no time in relocating it as well. No need to worry about their messes here.

(digging through the 'new' compost pile)

(sometimes the chickens get stuck in the garden fence)

(oh, and we finally broke down and bought a grill - that zucchini is from our garden!)

Parasite on a Hot, Hot Day

(Delilah's last clutch)

I love parasites of all sorts. I suppose that's why by day I pretend to be a budding Microbiologist. I don't however, like parasites in my chickens (or any of my other pets, for that matter). When we first got our chickens only 9 short months ago, we thought we'd be immune to all the chicken nasties that must only be see in CAFOs (confined animal feeding operations). Since then we've seen a chicken die of a mysterious illness (mysterious to the newby chicken owner anyhow), a chicken die of what we think was crop worm, and lice, leg mites, and roundworms. Here's what we've learned:

Leg mites seem easy enough to treat. We used linseed oil to coat the legs and soften the tissues, then covered them with Vik's Vapor Rub. Seems to be working like a charm as the few infected chicken leggies seem to be returning to normal.

The lice has been a bit trickier. We've tried everything from thoroughly cleaning the coop and spraying it down with a product called Orange Guard to a cedar spray on the feathers. We try to do everything naturally and stay away from chemical treatments, however there is a time a place for them. We eventually ended up treating two of our hens with a Permethrin powder for poultry as their infestations were pretty severe. To manage the problem we add a few cups of DE (diatomaceous earth) to their favorite dusting bowl to roll around in. DE comes from the tiny microscopic fossilized remains of diatoms (hence the name), which are a type of hard-shelled algae. We have found DE to be beneficial on so many levels. DE is good in gardens to deter insects and slugs as it is abrasive to their bodies. We now spread it all over the coop each cleaning and in the nest boxes. Amazingly we can't find a single lice on any of our chickens now! I'm thrilled with that. Perhaps this is our key to maintenance. I am even trying it out on another new 'problem'.....

Roundworms. It's been hotter than blazes out this whole week. A far cry from the previous post where I said it felt like fall; and it did! One of our little silkie hens, Delilah, is sitting on a clutch of 12 silkie eggs. Not hers. We bought them from someone who could guarantee they were full silkie. I like this breed. Due to the number of new chickens in the coop at the moment we felt it necessary to put a big dog cage around her to prevent 1) other hens from sneaking in there to lay their eggs, and 2) this years 'chicks' from pouncing all over her. Since the temperature has crept into the high 90s all week, and the temperature in the coop is over 100, we decided to bring her into the house (she's on the back porch) for a few days until this heat wave passes. She's much more comfortable it seems. The things we do for our chickens. Anyway, yesterday I watched her hop off her nest to get a drink and a peck of food. Of course eating = digestion = peristalsis = poop! And boy did she ever poop. I think she pooped half her weight it was so big. And there wiggling around (not really wiggling, but moving) was a roundworm. And if she's got roundworms, someone else probably does too. So it's best to worm them all. The commercial treatment for roundworms is Piperazine, which requires that you discard your eggs for two weeks after treatment with a second treatment in 3 weeks (which means discarding those eggs for another two weeks). So I did a little online research and found that DE can be added to the feed to eliminate intestinal parasites. Well golly! I think I'm going to try that first and see how it goes. Garlic and ACV (apple cider vinegar) can also be added as both have been noted to aid in the elimination of parasites. I'll let you know how it goes.

And that's all I have to say about that (at least for now).

Feels Like Fall

Wow! It's actually chilly out this morning. I like it! Low to mid 60s I would say. My kind of weather. It feels like fall; may favorite season of the year. They weren't calling for rain, but I can see the clouds across to the next hill emptying their contents on some unsuspecting fields. I suppose you'll have that. Here on my little hill the chickens are foraging and preening. Actually one was just up here sitting on the arm of my chair very interested in what I was doing on my laptop. Gotta love wireless. Kenai, our Old English Sheepdog is eating grass and chewing on one of his frisbees (not simultaneously of course). You should see the corn! Our landlord says it's the tallest in the county. It's taller than me, that's all I can say. It blows that whole "knee high by the forth of July" right out of the water. Even our tiny crop of organic corn is past knee high. The sunflowers are just as high. I'm really happy about them. They'll be good food for the chickens come winters.

I'd be happy to sit here all day like this. Just me and mother nature. Life likes to try to rob us of these peaceful moments. You've got to take advantage of them when you can.

Two Busy Weekends and Another to Come

("smile for the camera" - a cute goat from the fiber festival)

Goodness how busy I've been! So much to write that I think I'll have to do it in segments. Where to start:

This weekend we travelled ALOT! On Friday we travelled an hour and a half (one way) across the state line to pick up a new partridge silkie hen. I lost my Eleanor a few months back and have been looking for another, as one silkie hen just doesn't seem like enough. She's pretty cute and we refer to her as the "new" Eleanor. Some may think that recycling a name is a dumb thing to do, especially if you're other one died, but I have to tell you...new names are more difficult to come by that one might think. So she's 'Eleanor the second' in memory of my wonderful first partridge silkie hen.

Saturday we went BACK across state lines to a fiber festival in upstate Ohio. It was quite the drive (120 miles one way!), but I came home with 10 pounds of unprocessed sheep's wool and 5 pounds of a gorgeous gray alpaca fleece. Give me fiber, and I'm a happy girl! I've been processing a good bit of alpaca fleece lately. Today was my first experience washing a sheep fleece. For what it lacks in cost, it sure makes up for in washing. It's very different to process. It will take some practice, but I can't wait to dye and spin it. Our travels were extended another 60 or so miles on the way home as we swung up to Butler to pick up a dozen silkie eggs to stick under my broody silkie hen, Delilah. She just finished raising a clutch of six (who need to find new homes) and had already been found in the coop making nest. It's a little crowded in the coop right now with all the new chickens, so we've created her own little protected sanctuary in the corner in a big old dog cage that keeps everyone else out. Though her chicks are certainly old enough to be on their own (and almost twice her size now), they still seem to want to be close to mom sometime.

Last weekend was an exciting one on the alpaca farm. But that will have to wait for another day, as my bedtime has come and gone, and 6am will come far too soon for my liking.

Open Barn Day at Highland Alpaca

(picture from Highland Alpaca website)

DON'T FORGET: Open Barn Day at Highland Alpaca this coming Saturday from 11am - 4pm!! I'll be there spinning, so come on out!

The Worm Bin

Here's our worm bin. We built it about a month ago, and have had worms eating our garbage for the past three weeks. I have to say, I'm quite impressed at the voracious appetites these little creatures have! Do you see all the little flecks of brown below? That is worm poop! We started the bin with moistened shredded newspaper and cardboard, a few leaves, a bit of dirt, and some food scraps. More food scraps were added as we accumulated them. And I have to admit, we had no real clue what we were doing. But it looked easy enough to start, and it was.

Our journey in composting started about three years ago. We lived in a barn (yes literally) turned apartments and had a small area outside along the barn to plant and compost. We were becoming more aware of all the garbage that we produced and wanted to start to do our part in decreasing our footprint on the earth. Actually it was recycling that we started first. Though recycling seemed to become big in the 90s (at least that's when I remember it becoming big), I've been astonished by the number of communities that DON'T offer a recycling program. At least no longer offer one that allows you to put bins out with your trash to be collected. In my opinion, sadly, it's made a lot of us lazy. And I had fallen into that category as well. So we made our own bins. Nothing fancy; we just cut some holes in large Rubbermaid containers and stacked them, designating each for what we recycled (plastic, glass, tin/aluminum, and paper). We made the effort (not much effort at all) to find a local drop off for recyclables, and once they were full, we took them to the recycling center. We were amazed how even just that little bit decreased the amount of garbage that we generated. So we took it a step further and started a compost pile in a 3X3 square outside our kitchen. We had now decreased our trash production from a couple bags of garbage per week to maybe one every three weeks! I couldn't believe how much of a difference composting and recycling made! I was so proud of my compost pile that when we moved, I packed it up in a bin and took it with me.

We are still composting outside (most of which just went into the garden), but I've been wanting to start a worm bin for a couple of years now. We keep it in our kitchen so that we can put the scraps right there into the bin. It doesn't stink (I'm sure someone is wondering that). It smells like earth. And those happy little red wigglers are chomping away. This (above) is some of what was produced in just three short weeks.

There are lots of resources online for starting your own worm bin. So get at it! Even if your a city dweller, this is a great way to compost without having to own some land to put a pile outside! Happy Worm Farming!