Fiber Arts Friday: Diversification

After I learned that the Fiber Celebration was cancelled, I've been spending more of my available time working on other projects.

Isn't it funny how the removal of a deadline allows for the diversification of activities?

In this photo is Pussy Hat #9, Twined Mittens, Rill Scarf, a cashmere version of the Surfinia Wrap, and a couple starts on my own designs.

Clearly I have a preferred color palette, but this diversification of projects makes me a happier artist.

Happy Fiber Arts Friday!

Mud Season

Mud Season has arrived... and for the first time since buying our farm, I have mud season appropriate boots.

and shoes.

These Sloggers are easy to slip on and off and are also made in the US.  Hopefully they last a few seasons.

At least I won't have to wear my (awesome, -20F) Sorel Snow Boots on warm days this spring.

Don't say I don't have my priorities straight.  lol.

Fiber Arts Friday: Twined Mittens, part 3

The second mitt is going much faster than the first.

Happy Fiber Arts Friday!

Travel Reading, part 4

My last installment was focused on Agriculture and Dogs.

Being that we are farmers and raise dogs, I have a good-sized stack of books on these topics in the queue.... and being (mostly) from Colorado, I've heard about Dr. Temple Grandin for a long time.  She is a professor at Colorado State University, who's Veterinary Teaching Hospital is one of the primary reasons we located in Northern Colorado in 2009.

A friend had the opportunity to hear Dr. Grandin speak recently which got me looking into her schedule and publications (autism, livestock).

I've added a couple of her books to my library.  Animals Make us Human is the first to read.

Each chapter is dedicated to an animal type... Dogs, Cats, Horses, etc.  But each chapter covers more than just the type identified.  She talks about family relationships, and how domestication is believed to occur.

I especially appreciated the discussion about symbiotic vs mutualistic relationships between humans and dogs vs humans and cats.

She also talks in depth about the Blue Ribbon Emotions (Seeking, Rage, Fear, Panic, Lust, Care, Play) and that we as keepers should be working to maximize seeking and minimizing fear thru the environment we provide for our animals

In this social media world we live in where "everyone is an expert" I find it refreshing to read a text with cited references and objectivity.  I love scientists because they are clear about what is known and what is not known... there is skepticism around certain techniques, but allowance for why they seem to work in some situations.

Nothing is 100% right or wrong.  Scientists know this, where social media posters don't often seem to understand it.

Animals Make Us Human is definitely worth a read... Especially if you don't understand why your animals are doing certain things.

Garden 2019, part 3

Now that it's starting to get warmer (today was gorgeous) and spring things are available in the hardware stores, I was able to do the first project of the season.... replace the whiskey barrels.

These two half-barrels were left by the previous owners of our house.

They were on our back porch, have had several things in them over the years, and were barely holding together.  So it was time for an upgrade.

I removed the chives (which are starting to sprout!) and added the remaining dirt to the vegetable garden.

I added ~50% alpaca manure to commercial top soil and mixed it together.

I put the new barrels under our rain chains, added the soil mix...

and replanted the chives.

I will add other herbs such as basil, rosemary, thyme, and cilantro once we're passed our last freeze in about a month or so.

It's time to plant the early season seeds in the vegetable garden, but the soil was too wet to work today.  Hopefully the sun and rain will coordinate to give me a good weekend working day soon.  Regardless, it was wonderful to be able to spend some time outside today, playing in the dirt, while wearing short sleeves.

Fiber Arts Friday: Twined Mittens, part 2

As I was preparing to bind off my Twined Gunnar Mitten last time, one of my circular needles broke.

We were able to fix with a little super glue.

So Mitten #2 has been started!

I always feel a little better after I have a couple rounds complete... twisting one side and accidentally making a mobius is a concern.  ;-)

Now I just have to make it match Mitten #1.  Hopefully my notes are good enough.  ;-)

Happy Fiber Arts Friday!

Basketball

I've been passed over a lot.

It happens to the best of us.  My guess is it that the further one is from the center of the bell curve, the more often it happens.  I haven't done any research, so who knows.... maybe I'm wrong.

But given my personal experience, and since this is my blog, let's pretend I'm not wrong.

I have the (men's) NCAA Tournament on the television while I'm writing this post.  It's a college basketball tournament that they call March Madness, in case you aren't into sportsing.

I played basketball in middle school (7th and 8th grade).  I did not play after that because the "activities bus" did not go anywhere near our house and the practice/games didn't jive with my parents' work/commute schedule.

Then right before 11th grade we moved to a big city, relatively close to the high school I would be attending.  I decided that I would go out for basketball.

I did not make the team.

The reason I was given was that I had not played for the previous two years (9th and 10th grade).  So essentially, if I sucked as much as I presumably did, but had been playing for four years instead of having a break for two years, then I would have made the team.

Even as a stupid, teenage, girl, I knew this reason was BS.

I did go watch them play, once.  They lost that day.  I don't remember if they won any games that year.  There were only 6 or 7 girls on the team.  The teacher/coach never looked me in the eye after the season was over.

The reason I was given for not being selected to a team that not only sucked, but also didn't have enough players was complete BS and he knew that I knew.

On the flip side, the boy's basketball team at this high school was very good.  They were well supported, and always went to State.  They even won the State tournament in an undefeated season a couple of years later.  Families moved into our district so their boys could play on this team.  It was a public high school.

So several years later (ahem), I still wonder two things... (1) what was the real reason I was not selected for the team, and (2) what was the harm in letting me play?

How many times have you wanted to play and not been allowed to?  Have you ever prevented someone from playing?  What's the harm in telling them the truth?

It is still March.  Which means it is still Women's History Month.  Please do me a favor.  Make note of the (massive) coverage on the men's NCAA basketball tournament, and the (significantly less) coverage of the women's NCAA basketball tournament (which is also going on now.

Title IX was signed into law in 1972.  My story took place well after 1972.

We have a long way to go with respect to equality and opportunity.

I haven't decided if I will write about other times I've been passed over.