Back to Back Wool Challenge

Post cards from the Back to Back Wool Challenge of 2017 at Tocal Homestead

 

The Back to Back wool Challenge has been on my to do list for years but something always comes up and I miss it. But this year I put a big red cross on the date and I finally got there. I wasn't disappointed.
Basically, for those of you don't know what the challenge is all about, a sheep is shorn, the fleece is spun and the yarn knitted into a jumper right in front of you and against the clock. This jumper that the shearer is wearing is the end product and took the ladies just a little of 6 hours to complete. The pace is frantic! As you can see, at one point, moments before the end, there is one lady still knitting while two others a sewing up.

A mixed bag today.
For me I found some time to work on another Quill from Taproot Magazine.

We picked up 40 rescued ex factory farm hens. They made them selves right at home scratching and having a dust bath, and two eggs laid in minutes of leaving their boxes and cages.
Quite sad to see the state they're in and their cut beaks, but I'm sure they'll be happy here.

It was compost making day. we use tomato stakes to make our heap, adding more as the heap gets higher and taking them away to make a new heap as the heap breaks down and shrinks.
We make an indentation at the bottom to hold excess water as we make the heap.

Paddock slashings, water and manure, and greens are added in layers as the heap increases in height.

The heap continues to rise and will be capped with biscuits of hay tomorrow after the Bio Dynamic compost preparations are added at our International Biodynamics day happenings here on the Farm.

And of course feeding the people who visit the farm is a high priority. Never quite sure who will be here so a large pot of soup and home made bread is perfect for filling up interns and those on work experience and volunteers as well as family. Seven today for lunch and two who were happy with just a cuppa.

Finding The Rythym

Woohoo. I've found it again I think. My enthusiasm, that is.

I've been feeling a little out of sorts for the last couple of weeks. Needed a break like everyone else, I suppose. So I read and read and read some more. But every time I tried to get interested in something else I just felt really flat. I did my most basic jobs around the house and farm. Fed the animals, harvested the vegies, delivered the CSA boxes etc, etc . But that was it.

I went to do some sewing the other day and forced myself to sit and finish a few things and then the sewing machine came to a stop. I hadn't oiled it, so silly of me really cos I haven't used it for a while. Now it needs to go for repairs. And that put an end to that attempt at doing something and it left me flatter than before.

This is very unusual for me as I have so many projects on the go that I'm usually itching to get at. Maybe I need that frenzied activity to motivate me to get things done. Anyway, last night I thought I've just got to do something or I'm going to go mad. There's only so much a person can take during cricket season. So I pulled out a project that was going nowhere. You know the sort of thing I mean. The one I started with high hopes and got it nearly finished and realised it's not really going to fit and wasn't really what I'd hoped for, for that beautiful yarn that I'd lovingly spun with my own two hands. So I unraveled the whole thing and searched and searched for something I'd like and came back to the pattern that I'd tagged for myself months ago...the Barn Sweater by Carrie Bostick Hoge

And so now it's raining heavily. 40mls over night and still falling. Mark's in the kitchen baking bread biscuits and goodness knows what else and when I get finished here I'm back to knitting.

Happy happy me!!

p.s.Please excuse the quality of the photo. There seems to be marks on the lens. Maybe time for a new camera.

Babies, Babies and More Babies.

The first of our babies for the year has arrived. This is Violet, my niece's daughter.

 

 I have enjoyed sewing and knitting for a little girl. The dress is thanks to a link via Rhonda's blog. The infant peasant dress for newborns can be found here. She was sound asleep so I didn't want to wake her to try on the dress, so just laid it on top of her to get an idea for size. Should do her for a few months and as the days get cooler it can be worn with leggings and a light cardi. Such an easy garment to sew.

I was so nervous that both the dress and booties would be too small but as you can see there is plenty of room for little Violet to grow into them. Thee booties are from a book called 60 Quick Baby Knits. The pattern is for a 6month baby so I just used a thinner yarn and these are much closer to a new born size once her little foot fattens up a bit.

This year will see the arrival of many babies within our family and close friends. Another niece is due in two weeks, a friends daughter in April, my own daughter, Meghann, in May, and two more friends in July. Looking forward to meeting them all but also sewing and knitting for each and every one of them.

Vests

I do love a vest, especially at this time of year.The little vest Atticus had on yesterday was one I'd made for Evan. Evan never got to wear it as he was just too big, but this time around it fits beautifully.

It's a pattern I found a few years back but it doesn't carry any identifiable brand. It is similar to the Colin Vest, but with buttons down the side. Does any one know it so that I can give credit? The yarn is New Zealand wool I found at an op shop.

This vest I made for Evan this year. I'm now wishing I'd made it a little longer, but otherwise it fits beautifully. It's a Patons pattern and is knitted in Patons wool. I made a few mistakes which had to be unpicked. Not that it's a tricky pattern at all, just me trying to continue knitting too late into the night and waking up in the morning to mistakes. Sometimes a whole row of cables missing!

Sadly my spinning wheel is sitting untouched. Looking forward to the earlier evenings, sitting by the fire, with spinning wheel in front of me. I have a very nice fleece just waiting to be finished.

Do you knit? What have you got on your needles at the moment?

My Creative Space

Finding the space within the busyness of farm life for a little creating has become a priority for me over the last few years. Whether it's sewing, knitting, spinning or whatever new thing that comes along, I make time for some each day.

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I picked this pattern up from an Op Shop for 50 cents. I'm always on the look out for these older patterns because they are designed around cloth nappies. Modern patterns, I find, just don't fit over cloth nappies.

This week, with the slightly cooler weather I was keen to give the pattern a go, so I've decided on a little pair of  leggings in a 3 month size as my daughter Rhonwyn is  expecting her 2nd baby in April. Not knowing if it is a boy or a girl I decided on navy blue which can look lovely on either, I think.

The size of the yarn has been a little limiting as it requires 3 ply. Not much, but white, pale blue or pink in this ply, in wool, at our one and only yarn shop, so I've opted for a wool blend. It's not too bad but I do prefer knitting with pure wool.

I'm still working on my ripple rug as well. I hope to have it finished soon, and with a very helpful hint from Nicki it will be finished much more quickly than expected. Nicki explained how to weave in the ends as I go , so that's the tedious job at the end taken care of.

I spent one day with my friend working on the wedding quilt. After showing her how to use the sewing machine there are now patches sewn into 4 strips. We will be meeting again this week so I'll take some photos to show you of our progress.

I spent another day with Meghann and Rhonwyn on our mother daughter get together. Rhonnie made some repairs while Evan played along side us, and Meg and I started tracing and cutting out a pattern for a theatre costume Meg is making for a friend. Quite an ambitious project but I'm sure she'll manage it.

Do you have a need to create? How do you find time to fit it in? I tend to take my knitting with me if I leave the farm, and that way if I'm waiting around for something or just chatting with a friend, I can take out my knitting. I often have a few things going at once. Something quick and easy that doesn't require too much concentration that I can pop into a bag and carry with me, something a little more complicated where I need some peace and quiet to work on it, and maybe some sewing project as well.

Yarn Along

              A warm welcome to my new followers. Lovely to have you along for the ride.

Over the years as I've learnt to knit there have been a number of things that I have put off attempting. I was really put off trying socks because they looked so difficult but I had a go and have made 4 pairs now. I thought fair isle was way beyond me but after a request by my son in law to make him a hat I gave that a go and found that it wasn't that difficult at all and turned around and made a second hat straight waway. And another technique I have been a little  frightened of attempting has been cabling. Well wouldn't you know it it's not that hard after all.

I chose the milo vest by Georgie Hallam for my first attempt and  I'm ever so pleased to see the little cable appearing. The vest knits up quickly in the round and I've learnt a couple of little skills along the way as well as the cable.

The book I'm reading is Heaven on Earth- a hand book for parents of young children. Some great advice for nuturing the young child and just as important for the grandma as for the parent.

This was actually last week's post but I couldn't get the photo to download. I actually finished this vest and passed it on to the wee one before taking a final photo. It turned out so well that I've started another in red (a favourite colour of his dad's). Will try to remember to get a finished photo maybe of the young man himself wearing it.

Linking up with Ginny this week for Yarn Along.

Yarn Along- Spinning up a Storm.

A long time dream of mine has been to make myself  a garment from homespun. I started spinning around 10 years ago on a wheel made by my dad.

 He built it as a challenge not entirely sure that it would actually spin. It won first place at the local show and I took on the delightful job of testing it's spinning capabilities. I was very pleased to be able to tell dad that yes indeed it did spin. I spun enough yarn to make a pair of booties. But it became increasingly difficult to get the wheel to spin consistently and in the end it would  not draw in at all. A case of balance I was told. It would appear that the wheel would continually become unbalanced and not spin. I was devestated with the idea that the wheel wouldn't spin and  I became a little disenchanted with the whole thing.

In the mean time I was gifted a fleece and of course it reignited my interest, so Mark took on the task of finding me a wheel on ebay. He found a beautiful Ashford spinning wheel. At that time we had Mark's daughter and family living with us and his daughter commented on the fact that she was waiting for an item on ebay to finish. And I said ''Funny so is your father''. You guessed it they were bidding against each other on the same wheel.What a hoot.

Anyway I got myself a new hardly ever used wheel.

I still wasn't very confident with spinning as my dad's wheel wasn't easy to use so I put off spinning for over a year. Last month after seeing this shawl over at soulemamas I was inspired to dust of that spinning wheel and get on with it and here's the result. 

And once I got started, well I just couldn't be stopped. I saw  this vest that Lori made and just loved it and thought some homespun would do for that. I liked the stripe that Lori added so I too added some stripes of blue (cause I do like blue) with yarn from my stash.

I'm just a little pleased with myself. I've managed to card the fleece, spin it into yarn and then knit it into garments. The vest is a little big but it will be fine over other clothing in winter. I'm still trying to get the guage right. Of course I should have done a tension square and didn't in my eagerness to get cracking.  And with all that busyness I have managed a little reading. the shorter days get us inside earlier, with dinner that little bit earlier there's more time in the evenings for some extra knitting and reading.

 At the moment I'm reading "Edge of The Sacred - Transformation in Australia"  by David J Tacey.  

''The cure for our ecologically disastrous abuse of the earth and our culturally debilitating racism is the spiritual renewal of consciousness.''
 

I have only read a couple of chapters but it resonates beautifully with me. How can we care about the earth and any of it's inhabitants until we have revised our sense of identity to include the natural world.
Tacey talks about how our tough macho Australian image is a defence aginst the harsh unfamiliar conditions that faced early white settlers. We have carried this image with us ever since. He talks about the sacredness of the outback and the mythic bond that exists between this land and its indigenous inhabitants. He talks about recovering the sacred in Australia. A very thought provoking read.

Looking forward to seeing more yarns over at Ginny's

Evan's Hoodie

We have a few extra people living here on the farm and so we thought that it might be a good idea if we shared a meal once a week, so we have just finished the first of our weekly pot luck meals. A lovely way to catch up with the neighbours and not too much preparation as everyone contributes. Just finished the dishes while Mark goes down to the garden to check on the 30 new point of lay hens that we got today. they are not used to touching the ground, eating grass etc or having contact with a rooster. A lot to ask of them for one day, but they are also not used to roosting so Mark has had to go down after dark and help them up onto their roost. This may take a couple of nights then they''ll be right. In the mean time all the old chooks have been literally ''put out to pature'' in a new mobile chook pen and he will need to check that they have found their way home.

We have been rejoicing in the cooler weather and the beautiful rain. Just over 100mls in two days. It has filled the duck pond and partially filled the dams. It's been such a relief. I haven't had to check on animals every hour to make sure they have water and shade, or check that they are not over heating. I haven't had to check on plants and seedlings. Everything has just been fine.

And so of course I have been able to knit. Here's where I'm up to on Evan's Hoodie....

It has been a pleasure to knit up. I've been snatching up any opportunity to knit a few rows. But as far as reading goes, well I did find some magazines to flick through as I cleaned up but that's about it.

Joining in with Ginny for Yarn Along.

PS There has been some carnage in the pasture. The fox was quick to take advantage of some chooks who didn't know how to get back home. First count just 2 with another injured. Will know more tomorrow.

Cheesemaking

Our weekend started with cheesemaking. A beautiful group of woman turned up to learn the art of cheesmaking......

and yoghurt making.....

Mark teaches the cheese making. They made a colby which is a washed curd cheese. A bit milder in flavour than a cheddar and has become a favoured cheese.. While that was resting they made a paneer, which is an uncultured cheese that can be fried once set, a bit like haloumi. In between rest times during the hard cheese process we also made yoghurt. Only 1 of the ladies had made yoghurt before and so the others were blown away at how easy it was. With all our courses it's just like we are giving people permission to have a go, or something. Nothing we do is hard, but it's like we have been told that all these things are too difficult so why not just buy them, and all the additives that go along with that.Invariably our participants say,' wow I can do that!.'

Here are the cheeses we made, drying for a few days before they are waxed. Once they were finished we made ricotta from the whey.......

and had some with banana and honey on pancakes for breakfast on Sunday morning.

After breakfast Mark asked if I would like to come for a drive, to pick up some feed barley from a Biodynamic farmer that we know. So, instead of sewing like I'd planned, I grabbed my knitting ( it was a long trip) and headed off. Their farm is in a beautiful bit of country, unfortunately surrounded by open cut mines. So glad I had my knitting to distract me from the ugliness of it all. I'd started my dishcloth the night before, after a couple of wines , so don't look too closely or you'll find a mistake or 2.

Anyway, once we got there I was so sorry that I hadn't taken my camera. What a stunning view and no sight of the open cut mine, although evidence of the underground mine was there in the form of subsidence. The place was just full of history. D. was quite keen to share the family's history with us, once she realised how interested I was, and offered to show us the old house, that is now vacant, but watched over lovingly by the couple. D.'s husband's family had been there since 1920. When they arrived the top floor of the original house had been burned during a bush fire. They rebuilt a single story house in amongst the ruins and there the family, 3 generations, had lived until quite recently. The house was built of local stone, crumbling in parts now. We walked in through the old laundry door into the kitchen, so tiny in this day and age, but big enough for a family of 8 in years gone by. No hot water in the kitchen and just a tap attached to a wall for water... no sink!. In the next room we were shown where the family moved aside their table to make the room ready for dancing, where the piano would have stood and the cupboard full of music books.The neighbours from across the creek would come over in their sulky when the creek was down to play tennis on the ant bed tennis court and dance on the dance floor. D. said that it was her grandmother who came over the creek! Inside we saw the damage to the walls from the blasting from the mines. They have another 25 years of blasting to look forward to and in the meantime do enough repairs to keep the house structurally sound in the hope that future generations will renovate when the blasting stops.Through into the back of the house, close to the kitchen where we started, is the pantry, lined with shelving for  jars of preserves. D. spent a lot of time with her mother in law, stocking these shelves year after year. She now keeps her empty jars here but stores her preserves up at the new house that her and her husband built 20 odd years ago to raise their children. The day ended with a cuppa and home made fruit cake and more stories, and of course a wander around the garden. D is so generous, and we came home not only with the barley, but yarn, biodynamic preps, and cuttings from the garden. Such a wonderful day, I really didn't want to leave and I've been thinking about it all day.


I did manage to get some sewing done when I got home and made my grandson a pair of Anna  Maria Horner's Quick Change Pants

 I'm showing you the back so you can see the contrasting yoke.And then turn them inside out and you have another pair....

Once again the back.

The fabrics came from the op shop...an old sarong and an oversized red linen dress. Hope my daughter likes them. They should fit Evan in winter.....