Cold, Colder, Coldest

It was ten degrees below zero again last night.  The forecast is for single digits today, below zero again tonight and more of the same until the weekend.  In light of this fact, Jeff dragged the pullet cage down into the cellar and, yes, I put the chickens downstairs.  The last below zero cold spell lasted a week.  I tried to keep the coop in the mid twenties, however this entailed running a little ceramic heater non stop for several days and nights.  Disastrous to the electric bill.  So we talked about keeping the girls in the cellar instead. It was easy enough to get them down there as I scooped them off the roost.  I have no idea how I will get them back out!  They should be very cosy.  They sure are noisy!

"This is weird, brrrk brk, what are we doing in here?"

As the wind has picked up and the temperature stays frigid, it is a comfort not to have to worry about the girls.  It will probably mess up their egg laying routine.  At least it will keep them alive to lay more this spring.
Meanwhile I have been busy knitting for a baby who is due to arrive next month.  I decided to do something different and made a bear.

A jaunty bear

 I stuffed some lavender into the center of him so that the scent will help calm the little one.  The bear will be packed with this baby blanket, although I am not sure it is going to be big enough to call a blanket.  More like a throw.

An Elizabeth Zimmermann baby blanket

It is double knitted in the middle which makes it reversible, thick and warm.  It is being knit out of commercial wool.  The bear is hand spun.
I also had to spin for a couple of scarves to put on the loom.  The finished one was spun from an old roving I found in my stash.  It was mostly silk, and probably merino that had been dyed in long stretches in rainbow colors.  I split it down the middle lengthwise so that I could spin and ply the colors to keep that rainbow integrity.  Then I figured that I had to wind a bobbin, then rewind it to another in order to keep the continuity in the weaving.  It came out great but I am nervous that it is long enough. This second scarf is mostly going to be the blue with random stripes of white and other colors.

Scarves on the loom

Before the cold got so intense, my precious little old lady cat, Sukey, passed away.  Thankfully we were able to bury her.  I did not want to have to think of other alternatives, and cremation wasn't an option.  She rests in the corner of the yard reserved for pets.

Sukey, the old lady

She would have been 22, yes, Twenty Two years old in March.  She had a great life.  It is good not to have to be dealing with all the issues we have had these past few years with her advanced age, but it will be a long time 'til I stop looking over to her corner.

A bouquet to ease the pain

Annie sent me these, which certainly help on a whole lot of levels.  Especially in the dead of winter!
And  now the sun is out, the temperature has soared to minus 4---time for a cup of coffee before getting to work.  Stay warm, stay busy and Happy New Year!

Last One for the Year

It may be an indication of how busy I have been when I look to see my last post and it was the first day of November!  My, my, how time does fly.  November was filled with a lot of fiber doings.  Gloria and I did a craft fair in Rutland at the Grace Congregational Church.  It was only the second year the church had put on a craft fair with outside vendors, so it was a privilege to be there.

Glo spinning at our little booth

It was pretty successful from our point of view.  I had done four rugs for it and we sold three, which I thought was great.  I also sold a shawl and a hat.
Then I had to get crackin' and weave another rug as we had a fair in Orwell the first part of December.  I didn't sell any rugs that day, but I did sell my beautiful white shawl.  And a few other things.  Which is always nice.

My lovely alpaca and angora shawl

Of course we had to have Thanksgiving in there, somewhere!  It was a good day so all the travelers could make it over.

Eating and talking

We had our annual Thanksgiving puppet play.  I am pretty sure it was our last one as the puppeteer is going to be a young lady next year and will probably find such amusements beneath her!

Getting help for the Pilgrims

There was a flurry of baking, making and wrapping, interrupted by a few days of hospital trips while my Mom was laid up.  Thankfully she was on the mend and home in time for Christmas,  although she and my Dad elected to stay put that day.  We had to have our wild and happy gift exchange and Roast Beast without them.  Sadly, I have no photos that convey the sweet madness of the day.  Just tame ones of folks opening presents, or eating and talking.  You will just have to imagine the scene.

Now the days are getting longer, the sun stronger, the air colder!  The few woven scarves that I have yet to sell have been at a local gift store here in town.  The owner thought that she would try them for a few weeks.  That went well, with the result that she would like me to keep them there for the next few months.  So now I have to get busy spinning and weave a few more!  I am excited.  The ones left are all in fall colors which means I need to get the dye pot out for some blues, greens, pinks, purples?  

Oh ya.