Aberdeen

Gonzo

Snow and the lambs

I had lunch with my friend Tanis in D.C. today and she brought me two beautiful surprises. The first was a 5th Avenue Infinity Scarf that she knitted for me in our Franny and Zoey colorway. I can’t tell you how much I love this scarf! It’s in my favorite color and knit by one of my favorite people in the world.

The second thing Tanis brought me was a new pattern she designed using Juniper Moon Farm yarn.

Behold Moose Tracks:

Isn’t it precious?

Love the wee collar and buttons.

Completely smitten by the mooses. Meeses? Whatever. I smitten either way. (Wonder if I could get her to design one featuring mules?)

Adore the pine trees.

I am also enamored of the itty bitty hat!

I am still enough of a kittenhead that it makes me go all weepy when designers use my yarn. It’s such an honor!

Barclay Dunn designed a STUNNING pair of socks using our Toe Shoes colorway.

Just so achingly lovely.

The pattern is called “En Pointe“

Almost to pretty to wear.

Funnily enough, we are out of the colorways that both of those patterns are designed in (both are coming back soon!) but any of our worsted colors will work for Moose Tracks and any of our sock yarns will sub for En Point.

My latest Huffington Post blog post is up and it’s about a subject near and dear to my heart- Chicken World! You can read it here. If you like it, please re-tweet and share on facebook using the tools provided on the post.

Thanks!

In honor of my mama’s and Leo’s birthdays I am having a giveaway. And, just to switch things up, the winners will get to choose the yarn they win.

Here’s the deal: The winners will receive SIX SKEINS (1980 yards) of Anna Karenina (worsted weight), Basil and Josephine (worsted weight) or Catcher in the Rye (worsted weight). Leave a comment on this post telling me which of the yarns you would like AND what you would make with it. The more detailed the better and I strongly encourage links to the pattern you’re considering.

Entry period closes at 6 p.m. EST on Sunday, August 1st, 2010. Three winners will be chosen at random from all the entries- one for each colorway- and posted on the blog Monday, August 2nd, 2010. The winners will then have 24 hours to email me and claim their prizes. In the event that a prize goes unclaimed, another winner will be chosen at random. One entry per person please!

I’ll be off-line for a couple of hours this afternoon, so please don’t worry – or re-post- if you’re comment doesn’t show up right away. I’ll moderate them as soon as I can this evening.

Today is your day so I will refrain from telling the whole world you exact age, but it’s mighty tempting. Why? Because you are the best looking, most interesting, healthiest sixty-something woman I know. How many people’s mamas take up dancing in their sixties? Or go to the gym five days a week?  Nevermind. Nobody would believe me if I told them anyway.

You are such an inspiration to me. You want to experience everything and you treat life like it’s one grand adventure. I hope to be as fearless as you are someday! And to look as good in jeans.

For your birthday, I am sending you a box of homemade jam. (I didn’t quiet get it in the mail yet, but it’s coming. I promise!) I’m also sending you 100 birthday wishes and an IOU for  dinner at Joe T’s and coconut cream pie at the Magnolia Dinner the next time I’m in Fort Worth.

Wishing you the best birthday ever, Mama. I love you.

Leo

Aberdeen

I have a love hate relationship with our colored Angora goat, Roquefort. Actually, I never hate him. I guess I have a love/are-you-freaking-kidding-me? relationship with him. Roquefort was a bottle baby and he is by turns affectionate, hilarious, infuriating, pesky and sweet. He is ALWAYS up to something. Like today, when he decided to see what it’s like inside the chicken coop.

Mind you, the chicken coop two feet OFF THE GROUND. I don’t even know how he managed to get in there.

Once he was was up there, he decided he might as well sample the juniper.

I swear he’s laughing at me in this shot.

Next, Roquefort decided to check out the front porch.

I don’t know if you’ve ever had a goat Peeping Tom but it’s disturbing.

He also got into an altercation with the concrete ornamental rooster on the front steps, trying to knock him over. Due to the fact that the rooster is made of concrete and weighs approximately 10,000,000 pounds, the rooster won.

Roquefort is a cautionary tale about bottle babies. Since bottle babies aren’t scared of people, they can grow up to be real handfuls. They are always the first to defeat a fence or break into the barn and tear open sacks of grain. But they are also our best ambassadors. Visitors to the farm love Roquefort because he’s friendly and curious and funny. And I love him too. I just wish he was only half as curious and funny.

Make your own eco-friendly dishwasher detergent.

Make your own laundry detergent and fabric softener.

Make your own toilet bowl cleaner.

Make your own household cleaner.

(Can you tell that I’m on a D.I.Y kick? Actually I’m just fed up with paying so much for detergents and cleaners that pollute the earth and cost a fortune. I’m going to try some of these recipes and see how they stack up to the expensive poisons.)

40 uses for baking soda.

Three ways to use vinegar on your hair.

Lasagna cupcakes are brilliant! Can’t wait to make these. (Via Crush Party)

Trifle in a jar at make grow gather. (Via Not Martha)

Love this post about interior uses of barn doors at Apartment Therapy.

Howe’s Brown Cow: One Family, One Cow, One Year. Love this family blog.

Blog Crush! That Kind of Woman is the best tumblr blog I’ve ever seen. Loads of inspiration. (via Crush Party)

These D.I.Y. Vertical Garden Panels at Flora Grubb Gardens knock. me. out.

Of course I discovered miette while I’m on a diet. If you’re lucky enough to live in San Francisco you can have their cakes, like the Vanilla Tomboy pictured above. The rest of us can order meitte’s cookies and confections online. After we lose ten pounds.

Fascinating article about a study that fed curry spices to cows and sheep to reduce their methane gas emissions by up to 40%.

Honey Bee Mittens. love (1,000,000)

This is Aberdeen.

Isn’t she beautiful?

Leo is the smaller in the back.

And guess what?

Leo isn’t gelded.

Last time Aberdeen was bred, it was by a mini horse.

So at some point in the future we will have a foal of our own!

My friend Amy came over today and took this pics and the two that follow.

Isn’t Leo lovely? His 2nd birthday is Wednesday, BTW.

In all the excitement I forgot to tell you I bought three new chickens at Chicken World yesterday. Names to come.

It is stupidly, insanely, brutally hot in Central Virginia. Yesterday the high was 102. Today is expected to get up to 103 and tomorrow will also top 100.

The sheep are suffering mightily.

The goats on marginally less so.

The flock spends most of the day seeking shade and drinking water. We’re going through 150 gallons or so a day and we have to top off the tanks every hour or so with fresh, cool water to keep them drinking it. We’re adding electrolytes and apple cider vinegar as well.

Everyone has a very spot that they return to each day. Colorado and Buster share one of the run-in sheds.

Cosmo takes up a whole shed by himself.

Miss Linda and the rest of the goats stay in the back pasture where the shade of the trees and the slight breeze keep them cool.

Hannah

Jasmine

Waldorf and Statler

Ernie is the one I’m most concerned about. He’s just so big. He’s panting like crazy, but he’s hanging in there.

Even the chickens are suffering. They spend their afternoons in the landscaping, only coming out when I call them to come over for cool treats like watermelon and peaches.

The forecast is calling for cooler temps (92!) starting Monday. Till then we’ll just keep encouraging everyone to hydrate and keep the barn fans running.