New Adventure: Chickens, part 1

As part of our new place, we inherited a flock of chickens.  Which means the Alpacamundo Farm currently has Alpaca, Tibetan Mastiffs, Nigerian Dwarf Goats, and Chickens.

The First Year with Chickens

There were 16.  Three of which were Roosters.

The ratio should be closer to 1 Rooster per 15 Hens.  So the laying hens had large bald spots due to being over-bred by too many roosters and the roosters had been fighting with each other.

With the help of a Chicken Farmer Friend we identified which Rooster to keep, and began making plans to cull the other two.   However, due to a series of predation events we lost 2 roosters, including the one we wanted to keep, and gave the third to our neighbor.

The good news is that this all happened in time for the remaining hen-flock to re-grow feathers before the cold weather of winter.

I spent the winter improving the health of the flock.... adding calcium, grit, and higher protein organic feed, as well as treating for mites.

By the time laying resumed in the spring, the egg shells were quite hard for all but one of the hens, and everyone was looking good.

We had a lovely summer with the flock of 8 hens.  They did a great job of keeping the grass hopper and other bug populations under control.  As well as pooping all over the sidewalk and being a great source of entertainment.  :-)

Making Plans for the Future Flock

A couple of weeks ago, Hubba and I started talking about adding birds to the flock.  We began studying the Livestock Conservancy's Priority List to start figuring out which breeds would be good for our area and goals.  The plan was to add chicks in November/December so they would be old enough to start laying in the spring.

Then due to a mistake on my part, we lost all but one of our flock to predation just before dawn, on Monday.  FYI, this is a terrible way to be woken up.  :-(

Clearly we needed to make some process changes, and get a small flock together ASAP.  The one remaining chicken, Fluffy Face, was stressed being by herself.

Another friend offered to give us a few older-adult hens, but it would be a week before we could get together  So for the intervening week.... I found and purchased live chicks from a local ranch-supply store on Monday afternoon, and dove head first into caring for baby chickens.  ack.

Baby Chickens

My hope is that the chicks, while in their own area inside the coop, will be enough for Fluffy Face to feel more comfortable until the adults arrive next weekend.

Monday was a stressful day for her, with a lot of changes.  So she was suspicious of the new equipment in the coop.

I decided to watch the coop from the house, in order to give Fluffy Face some time and space.  Then went into the coop around dusk to turn the Heat Lamp on, and do my evening check.  I found Fluffy Face thinking about roosting, but still cautious of the new residents.... baby steps, but they are in the right direction.  :-)

For the Tuesday morning check, the Heat Lamp kept the chicks warm overnight, and everyone was vocal and active.  WooHoo!  Everyone survived the first night!!

At the midday Tuesday (yesterday) checks, Miss Fluffy Face was watching the chicks.  All of the chicks are eating and drinking.... and Miss Fluffy Face seems a bit more relaxed now too.

Day 3

Today is Wednesday and we have two nights under our belt.... Fluffy Face is becoming more interested in spending time with the chicks.

I've been handling the chicks a little each time I go out to the coop.  This is to encourage them to trust me and eventually be easy to catch and vet when needed.

As of today, the chicks are officially 1 week + 2 days old!

They are Rhode Island Red, which are on the Livestock Conservancy's Priority List.  Though, I suspect these are "industrially" produced.

At this point I don't know if I have hens, roosters, or a combination.  The producer endeavors to provide only hens, but it is not guaranteed.  According to what I've read, I should have a good idea by about 6-14 weeks.

Next time I, hopefully, will be able to talk about successfully introducing a flock of adult chickens.  *fingers crossed.*

Fiber Arts Friday: Organizing the Stash

On my To Do List since before we decided to move our house and farm has been to update and organize my Stash.

I'm generally pretty organized here, but with my Scrappy Palindrome and the recent Frogging of WIPs, I know that everything is not in my Ravelry Inventory nor is it in the proper bins.

I believe that all of my clean fiber has made it's way to this area of my studio since our move, but it's lack of order has been annoying me for a while now.  So I've been thinking a lot about how I'd like to organize this area...

I've noticed that Tapestry Weavers tend to organize by color.  Conversely, Knitwear Designers seem to organize more by weight (gauge).

Either display/organization strategy is nice to look at.  I especially like the gentle gradient of color across a wall of yarn. However, I don't think there's one best way to organize anything, as long as:

1. everything has it's place and
2. you can find what you're looking for when you're looking for it.

So, after contemplating these strategies for some time and then taking advantage of a few hours of alone time, I took the first step... emptying everything out of the bins.

I piled according to fiber content, then within each pile I sorted by color and format.

What I learned from this exercise is that I really don't have a lot of dyed fiber, that my formats are all over the place, and that I have a lot(!) of silk to spin.

So ultimately, I decided to stay organized by Fiber Content.

I don't love having a variety of bins stacked against the wall... but this is now taking up half the floor space.  Each bin is a unique fiber, labeled, see-through, and keeps the fiber free from dust and bugs.  So this is good for now.

Hopefully, I'll be able to find a beautiful armoire for fiber storage in the future.

I have not yet bounced my actual inventory against what I have recorded in Ravelry.  That will have to happen on another day, along with my tool consolidation.

Happy Fiber Arts Friday!

Dog Show: Greeley Kennel Club, 2022

 Whelp, it's been a while since I've had a dog in a show...

Ramen and I went to Westminster last summer (2021), which was an amazing experience.

I had entered Wilma in the Greeley show a couple of months later (August 2021), but she had a cough the morning before, so we decided to keep her at home.  Kennel Cough is typically not serious, but it is highly contagious and we did not want to be the source of an outbreak.

Then our move started ramping up and we unexpectedly lost Ramen to cancer a few months later in December (2021).

***

Wilma and I went to a few classes in the recent Spring (2022), and I helped a friend with her puppies at the Laramie, Wyoming show in May (2022).

Laramie was my first time anywhere near a ring since losing Ramen.

While I was very happy to be able to help my friend with her new generation, I was feeling very sad and emotional about Ramen not being there to compete.  He just loved showing so much and it was our thing that we did together.

Then Ramen's sister, Aspen, got sick and we lost her in July (2022) to a different cancer... heartbreaking.  But at least we knew it was coming and took the opportunity to spoil her.

Add in a long work trip and a couple of injuries... and well, it's been a while.

***

I'm finally in a place where I can go on this journey with Wilma, and not regret that Ramen is not here to participate... So first up is the Greeley Kennel Club Show.

Wilma and I started going to class again in early-August (2022) and I felt happy about getting ready to compete.  We practice at a couple of venues; one indoors and one in a nearby park.

She really enjoys going to class and seeing her doggie and human friends, as do I.  :-)  The different venues provide exposure to different surfaces, dogs, judges, and potential distractions.  All good stuff in my book.

The day before the show, I took Wilma to Tractor Supply for a bath.  They provide everything.... shampoo, towels, high-velocity dryer, warm water, and a tub for about $10.  Even though we brought our own shampoo, this is seriously a great value for the do-it-yourself-er.

Then I went to the venue to set up our grooming space and help a friend organize trophies for another event.

Late August in Greeley is typically hot and we show outside, generally close to noon.  So I had been preparing ice, fans, and cooling mats to help keep Miss Wilma cool.

This year, however, we had earlier ring times and cooler weather, coupled with excellent use of shade by the Kennel Club.  It was quite comfortable.

Wilma showed extremely well and was willing to work in the ring, even when she was tired... from watching where we'd been on the drive over.

And keeping an eye on what everyone else was doing.

On the last day, she barely started to relax.  

It's hard for a guardian who wants to be aware of everything that's going on.  :-)

Wilma was awarded Winner's Bitch (WB) all three days.  This is the best, female, class dog of the day.  Class means non-champion.

She also received Best of Winners (BOW) on the first day.  Meaning she was also the best over the boy class dogs that day.

On the second day, one of the class boys won Best of Breed, so he was also BOW and no boys were present on the third day so BOW was not awarded.

We also had an impromptu Judge's Mentoring Session.  We answered questions, discussed the most important characteristics of the breed, and let the Judge-in-training get her hands on Wilma.  Educating people about Tibetan Mastiffs is probably one of my favorite things to do.

Wilma watched where we'd been the entire way home, even though she had to sit closer to the front because the grooming/kennel equipment was in the way-back.  lol.

Finally, she was delighted to visit with her alpaca before I put her to bed for a good, long, nap.  :-)

Wilma now has 3 points toward her Championship Title and we have a couple of things to work on before the next event.

The Greeley Kennel Club Show is one of my favorites.  It was the first show I ever attended.  It's convenient to our location and the venue is excellent.  This year's Saturday Group Competitions were broadcast live on AKC.tv and available to stream now.

Fiber Arts Friday: Summer Cardigan, part 1

I had been thinking about this project for some time.  I love the simpleness and subtle feminine feel of this design.

I also liked the idea of working this in cotton as the pattern calls for.  However I did not want a 100% cotton yarn, which can be tiring to work with since it does not have much give... and a 100% cotton will sag if the garment is too heavy.

I found the perfect yarn at Yarn Fest earlier this year and bought 3 skeins.

The yarn is a Merino + Pima Cotton blend, all grown and milled in California.  This is a natural (un-dyed) yarn with loads of character.

I have done very little crochet in recent years and have done even less to a written pattern that needs to be a specific size when finished.  So this entire project is an experiment for me.

The written instructions for the Floral Array in the top portion of the cardigan was confusing...  Specifically the Horizontal Petal.  I just did not understand what it was telling me to do.

So I bought a copy of the dictionary that the stitch pattern came from... which didn't help much, other than making it clear that the cardigan pattern was written correctly, and that my trouble was me.

I finally found this YouTube video, which is for a different but related stitch.  After watching it a few times, and going back to the schematic in the book, it finally started to make sense.

After a few more tries, I got the Horizontal Petal figured out and was then able to move forward relatively quickly.

It doesn't look too bad in this photo, but this pattern will benefit from blocking, which I will do before stitching the four panels together.

The nice thing about having a pattern that is constructed in sections is that I was able to work on the lower piece which is only double-crochet and practice consistent tension while I contemplated the Floral Array.

At the moment, the lower piece is about 30% complete and the Floral Panel is about 50% complete.  The two upper-front panels are not-started.

In weighing my progress and remaining yarn, my concern about not having enough yarn is growing, so I ordered a few more skeins in late July.  The pattern calls for 880 yards for the size I am making and I have 900 yards.

So, if we assume that I am crocheting at the same tension as the author and that each of my skeins are exact in their measurement... this is going to be very close.

Happy Fiber Arts Friday!

Fiber Arts Friday: County Fair, 2022

It's County Fair time again.  :-)

Upon looking at the Hand Spinning and Weaving Department Premium List when it became available in early June (~6/6/22) I was surprised to realize that I did not have any yarn completed since the specified date (8/1/21).  However, it does make sense given the move and focus on the large SOS Sweater.

Then, as I started to review the premium lists for other departments and thinking about where I was on projects, I realized that I might be able to field a decent entry.

So I have three photos:

Thanks to the Tour de Fleece, Hommes and Femme, and some warmup spinning, I finished two yarn entries.... Tibetan Mastiff (Ramen) and Dorset Horn (SE2SE) to go with one Handspun+Handknit Hat.

And some last minute Strawberry Jam.

Of all of these things, only the Hat was complete between August 1, 2021 and June 6, 2022.  Everything was dropped off last week.  Judging was on Wednesday and the Fair was open Friday thru Tuesday.

I went over the weekend to see the exhibits.  There were large entries in both the Spinning/Weaving and Needlework departments... especially Needlework was much larger than in recent years.

I'm happy to report that each of my yarns received second place and were displayed on the wall with the other beautiful yarns.

    

None of my other entries received ribbons, but it was quite fun to see my photos displayed with the other entries.

  

As well as my hat and jam on the shelf displays.

 

The Best in Spinning was this remarkable Handspun-Handknit Sweater.  This did not look like handspun yarn at all.

Some of the other entries....

  

  

  

Wilma and I picked up our entries on Wednesday.  She was a very good girl while waiting in line... and very excited when we picked up the fiber projects.  :-)

The comments received mostly make sense.

For the yarn:  The majority of points lost were for not following instructions.... while I did state the intended project for the yarns, I neglected to include the intended technique... knit, crochet, weaving.  oy.

The canned goods can only come from pre-approved recipes.  This wasn't clear to me in the Premium List prior to entry.  In going back to read it again, it's still not clear to me.... Although I now have the list of approved sources, so I will take a look and then decide if I want to try again.

There were no notes on the photographs, which was disappointing.

Overall it was a good fair for me and the fibery-stitching competitions are definitely my favorite.  I have no doubt that I will continue to compete.  :-)

Happy Fiber Arts Friday!!

Fiber Arts Friday: Tour de Fleece 2022, part 2

A few weeks later, and two Tours complete... the hommes and femmes.

I did end up playing with my regular Spinning Chien group, as well as joining the Shuttles, Spindles, and Skeins Team... a former LYS in Boulder, that is still holding virtual meetups.

Week 1 

Friday, July 1

• Dorset Horn - 15 minutes
• Tibetan Mastiff, Ramen - 15 minutes

Saturday, July 2

• Dorset Horn - 15 minutes
• Tibetan Mastiff, Ramen - 15 minutes

Sunday, July 3

• Dorset Horn - 45 minutes
• Tibetan Mastiff, Ramen - 15 minutes

Monday, July 4 - Transfer Day, US Independence Day Holiday

• With a little extra time for spinning today and yesterday, I was able to finish the single for the Dorset Horn - 1 hour 22 minutes

I wound it into a cake and will be ready to begin plying tomorrow.

• Tibetan Mastiff, Ramen - 15 minutes

Tuesday, July 5

• Dorset Horn - ply 15 minutes
• Tibetan Mastiff, Ramen - 15 minutes

Wednesday, July 6

• Dorset Horn - ply 15 minutes
• Tibetan Mastiff, Ramen - 15 minutes

Thursday, July 7

• Dorset Horn - ply 15 minutes
• Tibetan Mastiff, Ramen - 15 minutes

Week 2:

Friday, July 8

• Dorset Horn - ply 15 minutes.  As the cake shrinks, my speed increases.  But I still have a ways to go.

• Tibetan Mastiff, Ramen - 15 minutes.  I got a new lamp last week and have noticed that the color is more grey when under the light of the new lamp.

Saturday, July 9

• Dorset Horn - ply 30 minutes
• Tibetan Mastiff, Ramen - 15 minutes

Sunday, July 10 - Challenge

• No spinning

Monday, July 11 - Rest

• Cashmere - drop spindle (park and draft) - 30 minutes

Tuesday, July 12

• Cashmere - drop spindle (park and draft) - 15 minutes

Wednesday, July 13

• Cashmere - drop spindle (park and draft) - 15 minutes

Thursday, July 14

• Cashmere - drop spindle (park and draft) - 15 minutes

Friday, July 15

• Cashmere - drop spindle (park and draft) - 15 minutes.  After growing a bit too much confidence, I broke the thread.  sigh.  So I spent some time pulling part of the batt into roving.

Week 3

Saturday, July 16

• Cashmere - drop spindle (park and draft) - 15 minutes.  I broke the thread again.  sigh.

Sunday, July 17

• Cashmere - drop spindle (park and draft) - 15 minutes.  It's interesting to look at this photo along side the first one in this post.  Every little bit does add up, even when it doesn't feel like progress is being made.  :-)

Monday, July 18 - Rest

Tuesday, July 19 - It was lovely to be back at my wheel today.

• Dorset Horn - ply 15 minutes

• Tibetan Mastiff, Ramen - 15 minutes

Wednesday, July 20

Thanks to the replay option on Peacock, this is the first Tour de Fleece where I have been able to watch coverage beyond a 2-hr highlight show of the actual Tour de France.

• Cashmere - drop spindle (park and draft) - 15 minutes

Thursday, July 21 - Challenge

• Dorset Horn - ply 15 minutes

Friday, July 22

• Dorset Horn - ply 30 minutes

Week 4

Saturday, July 23

• Dorset Horn - ply 28 minutes.  Finished Plying.

• Tibetan Mastiff, Ramen - 30 minutes

Sunday, July 24

• Tibetan Mastiff, Ramen - 45 minutes

FIN - Men's Race

Weighing before and after means that I have 30 + 24 + 5 g or 59 g of singles were spun over 3 weeks and 112 g were plied thus far.

Tour de France, Femme Begins

With the Men's race ending today and the first Women's race beginning, I decided to dedicate the next week to plying my Tibetan Mastiff, Ramen.

There are 102 g here, that hopefully will be in a finished 2-ply yarn by the end of the week.

Sunday, July 24

• Tibetan Mastiff, Ramen -  ply 30 min
• Cashmere - drop spindle (park and draft) - 15 minutes

Monday, July 25

• Tibetan Mastiff, Ramen -  ply 30 min

Tuesday, July 26

• Tibetan Mastiff, Ramen -  ply 70 min.  I think I might finish this tomorrow

Wednesday, July 27

• Tibetan Mastiff, Ramen -  ply 34 min.  I smashed my hand in a door this morning and injured my primary index finger.  It's the same one I shattered a few years ago, so it's good and painful. At least I can ply with my middle finger and was able to finish making this yarn.  sigh.

Thursday, July 28

• Cashmere - drop spindle (park and draft) - 15 minutes.  I have a lot more cashmere to go, so I've decided to dedicate the rest of the tour to making some progress here.

Friday, July 29

• Cashmere - drop spindle (park and draft) - 21 minutes

Week 5

Saturday, July 30

• Cashmere - drop spindle (park and draft) - 15 minutes

Sunday, July 31

• Cashmere - drop spindle (park and draft) - 15 minutes

FIN - Women's Race

Before and After Individual Top Photos

Sometimes it's really hard to see progress, so here's a side by side of before and after the Tours.

On my Clemes&Clemes Wheel, I had Tibetan Mastiff - Ramen., 143g (bobbin+yarn) to begin and ended with 173g (bobbin+yarn), for a total of 30g of single spun and 102g/324 yards of yarn plied.

 

On my Louet, I had Dorset Horn for SE2SE, that began with 233g (bobbin+yarn) and finished with 257g (bobbin+yarn).  Meaning that 24g of Dorset Horn Single and 112g plied during the Tour de Fleece, Homme.

 

On my Ledbetter Drop Spindle, I began with Cashmere, 24g (spindle+yarn) , Ended with 32g (spindle+yarn), for a total of 8g spun.

This was not my most productive Tour de Fleece, but this was mostly just about making it happen... and both of my wheels are currently empty, which never happens.

Happy Fiber Arts Friday!