flying my hap flag

It's been quite a while since I made my first half-hap using Gudrun Johnston's pattern, "Simmer Dim." At the time I expected to make another someday, and guess what...

I've got the yarn

I've got the needles

and

today is Cast-On Day!

This project will be a special gift, and since I wanted to be sure to make something the recipients will enjoy, it is not a surprise - it's a collaboration. I provided lots of options for very different patterns and yarns, and there was a good bit of to-ing and fro-ing as the options were explored and considered. I would have been happy to make whatever was selected - and I tried very hard to answer questions without influencing the decisions - but I must say the choices made turned out to be just my cup of tea.

"Hansel" - another design by Gudrun Johnston - is a full sized version of a traditional Shetland Hap shawl. It will probably finish at about four feet square, perhaps a bit more when blocked. The pattern calls for five colors: a central garter-stitch diamond in a main color, then a wide border lacework section with gently wavy stripes in four additional colors plus the main color, followed by an edge in the original main color with options for simple or more elaborate finishing.

Like the traditional Shetland hap design, the chosen yarn is also traditional: Jamieson and Smith's "100% Shetland wool from the Shetland Islands." And - this is quite wonderful, I think - all five colors in this hap will be natural, undyed wool. The five shades were chosen from a range of nine, called things like Moorit and Katmollet and Gaulmogot, which are the names of the colors of the Shetland sheep.

This is going to be a joyful project, and I'll try to share a bit of the process - and woolly pictures - as I go along. I'm planning to get a good start on it before cashmere harvesting begins, because both knitting and combing cashmere require very similar use of my hands and I usually stop knitting entirely during combing season. This year I may just pace myself so some days can include a bit of combing and a bit of knitting.

Off to a good Gaulmogot start.

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wordless wednesday

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necessities

Not all my chores are strictly necessary.

Unless one considers providing a high quality of life "necessary."

Here, the goats would like to thank their friend Chris for an unexpected and bountiful supply of carrot pennies. What a kind thought :)

Agatha and Eloise would be fine with their organic pelleted food, but they probably come running to me because I also bring them special treats - like a warm breakfast on very cold mornings.

About the sweater: I found this Irish cardigan on Christmas Eve during a quick stroll though a thrift shop, between an eye appointment and visit to the local florist for a little hostess gift. It was such a crazy morning I actually forgot about buying the sweater until a couple of days ago, when I washed and blocked it. It's been slowly drying atop the washing machine ever since.

Which is why, when I wanted to continue yesterday's chores without coming inside in my cleats, I just reached in the door and placed the eggs on the drying sweater. When chores were finished and I came in, the eggs looked so perfect against the cable knit, I thought you might like to see them too.

But the color of the wool in that photograph isn't quite accurate. The green is very close to the darkest color of these hemlock needles:

Speaking of being outdoors, the ice that has coated every leaf and every twig has been slowly melting. I spent a vigorous half hour releasing the Highlander from it's ice coating yesterday, pausing to take a few snaps of the flowers by the driveway as the sun began to reach them. You can tell from this bee balm stalk where the sun had been the day before:

And here is the sun just reaching a Chelona stalk:

For the past three days, Piper - 55 pounds - has been walking on the frozen crust. The goats - even the largest goats - with their sharp little hooves have been walking on the frozen crust.

I'm not sure who weighs more, Betula or myself, but I've also been walking easily on the frozen crust, cleats a-gripping. It's such a pleasant way to get around, and I've spent more time outdoors than necessary for chores, just puttering around and looking at things, because it hasn't been tiring to walk through the paddocks.

No telling how much longer it will last, but the sun shone for hours yesterday which doubtless softened the crust. Today may be the day that every step means plunging downward several jarring inches into the snow below. But I've enjoyed that weight-bearing crust while it lasted!

Wishing you all a day in which the crust bears your weight.

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2019 pictorial

JANUARY

FEBRUARY

MARCH

APRIL

MAY

JUNE

JULY

AUGUST

SEPTEMBER

OCTOBER

NOVEMBER

DECEMBER

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stormy monday

accurate colors of this morning

We are in the middle of another long bout of freezing rain, which began yesterday evening, went on all night, and got heavier just before dawn today. I am hoping very hard that the wind doesn't pick up and cause a lot of tree damage. There is still snow on the ground, which suggests to me that the air temperature must be hovering near freezing point. A sander truck went by earlier.

birds through a rain-spotted window

Yesterday the ice cleats came out for the first time this year. In a typical Winter, cleats are only needed on certain days, so I like to keep one pair of old boots cleated. That way I don't have to struggle with pulling cleats on and off my everyday boots every time I'm taking Piper for a walk along the road or driving somewhere or even coming in or out of the house while doing chores - cleats on flooring are both destructive and dangerously slippery. But this winter I don't have an old pair of boots to keep the cleats on, so yesterday I bought a pair of $30 boots just for this purpose. It was a reluctant purchase; the boots were made in China and I feel so miserable about not trying harder to find an alternative from Not China, that I may just return them unworn. At the moment they are still in their box in their shopping bag. For today at least, the cleats will stay on my everyday boots. Piper and I are going nowhere, and I'll try to pile everything needed for chores near the door so I won't have to come back inside until everything is done.

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In other news, a return to a fiber-rich daily diet is about to commence.

Details will be forthcoming in January.

Expect many, many details.

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I hope you are having a slightly-less-grey day wherever you are today!

Here's to the week ahead.

~~~~~