Project List

Sunnier Days

It seems that the blog world is crammed full of posts on new year's resolutions and lists of accomplishments from last year. I'm not a huge resolution maker, whether that's good, bad or otherwise, I have no idea. But, in keeping with the spirit of the list-making season, I do like to start penciling out ideas that I have for projects, to see which ones may or may not be reasonable for the coming year.


In no particular order, here's what I'm thinking these days:

• Goats and/or Sheep. I'd really like to start looking seriously at how we could bring in some more animals. We'll have to spend some time looking around the property for a suitable site for a fenced off area and a shelter. Once that's nailed down, we can start thinking about specific breeds- since everyone here has a purpose, these will have to be fiber breeds, to keep my spinning habit supplied. 
• Bees. I really enjoyed having my neighbor's bees around last summer. It seems that the cold snap we had a few months back killed them off, though. I believe he's looking at getting another hive set up, but I'd also like to have one of our own. The question is, what type of hive do we want to manage? More on that, to come. 
• Ducks. I've been wanting to add ducks for a number of years, and since we don't need to add any chickens to the flock this spring, I believe it's time to get that ball rolling, so I'll be picking up some duck books on my next trip to the library. 
• Broiler Chickens. Depending on the work situation, I think this is the year where we'll try our hand at raising broilers. (Heaven knows we have enough beef in the freezer, still.)
• Rabbits. We need to overhaul the rabbit colony. The gals keep digging out and seem to be going through an excessive amount of food, with their current set up. We're going to have to completely move their enclosure and move a bit of dirt around, in order to fish out the concrete pavers that they managed to squeeze past, and back fill their dens.
• Chicken Coop. This is going to require a major cleaning in the spring, so while I'm at it, I think I'll move their next boxes and roost bars around. Since the rat issue started, they won't use the next boxes any more, and roost all over the place. So, we need to fix that. I'd love to get rid of the greenhouse coop altogether, but that's probably not in the budget right now. We'll see. 
• Veggie Garden. Last year was a good year in the garden, but there was room for improvement when it came to the rabbit damage. I'm going to need to either reinforce the perimeter fence with some chicken wire, or set up individual panels for the beds that need them. I'm leaning towards shoring up the perimeter. I'm also in the process of planning what we'll plant and where... but that's a totally stand-alone topic. 

I'm getting tired just thinking about this stuff. What about you? Do you have plans to add any livestock or garden areas this year? Do you have any projects that you want to take on, but aren't sure where to start? I'd love to know!

Who's Up for a Knit Along?

Like clockwork, once the weather starts to change even the slightest bit, my hobbies shift as well. I'm itching to knit something these days, and it's too warm during the day to work on something huge. So, while I was surfing Ravelry for ideas, I started thinking about organizing a knit-along (otherwise known as a KAL) and making it a group thing. Who's with me? (Fellas, I'm talking to you, too. There are lots of guys out there who knit, so don't be shy! Think about it- how impressed would your lady be, if you knit her a gorgeous gift?)

My goal for our KAL project is that it will be easy enough for beginners to work through, yet still interesting enough for an advanced knitter. We'll have updates on FB, and our new knitters can get help from anyone in the group, including me, if they run into trouble. I'd also like it to be a small enough project, that it could be wrapped up in no more than 3 weeks. With the holidays coming, this would be a great way to kick off the making season!

I'm a huge fan of scarves and cowls when the weather gets cool. So, I've picked out two possible projects for our KAL, and I'd like to hear your feedback. If you're not on Ravelry yet, you'll need to sign up (it's free) to access the patterns. Not all of the patterns available on Ravelry are free, but the ones I've picked out below, are.

My first choice is "A Noble Cowl" by Emily Kausalik.. I knit this cowl a few years ago, and I get compliments on it every time I wear it. I love the way it fits, and it's definitely a wardrobe staple for me. Also good to know: it was the first pattern project I ever tried, and it wasn't hard at all. If you're a newer knitter, this is a great project to get you used to following patterns and what-not.

My second choice is this "Spring Moebius Cowl" by Haley Waxburg. I haven't knit this one before, but after reading through the pattern, it's just a series of knit and purl rows, so it looks super easy to make- perfect for someone who has never knit before, even.

What do you think? I'm also open to suggestions, if neither of these are grabbing you. Go ahead and browse the patterns on Ravelry (you can even view my Ravelry profile, here) and post a link to the Facebook page, if you see something else that you like more. Let's plan on choosing our final project by Friday, September 26th- this way, we can gather our supplies over the next couple of days and be ready to kick off the KAL on October 1st.

I'm looking forward to hearing from you!