Week 31 of 2025

Tour de Fleece ended today, and these are my results -

I wanted to spin 20-30 minutes everyday from July 5th to August 3rd (the dates of Tour de France and Tour de France Femmes), and I did that and more some days. This is my 11th TdF in 13 years.

I ended up spinning four different projects. From left to right - a skein of super fine merino, a skein of a merino/nylon sock blend, 4 skeins of BFL (for a sweater), and a local merino that I blended with Angora and a few other types of fibres. I dyed all the fibre.

The final results are 555g (19.6 ounces) of yarn, 1,707m (1,867yds) of yarn, and 3,754m (4,105yds) of singles spun.

Photos from Around -

Smokey sunrise over the veggie garden.

The chickens really enjoy garden veggies.

The little chicks are almost 2 months old and live outside now (in their own area next to the big hens).

All the best!♥︎

Week 26 of 2025

This week I dyed some fibre in preparation for Tour de Fleece (starts July 5th this year) -

The bottom two are BFL dyed in two different colour ways to be spun together, and the top fibre is some leftover Merino.

Photos from Around -

The vegetable garden.

My son brought home so many different annual flowers (I don't usually plant too many varieties), the yard is full of colour now. These are just some of the different petunias.

Beautiful metallic Dogbane beetles on some wildflowers.

Poor Molly had to suffer through some grooming - she is clean, with short nails now.

Happy hens!

The canola field surrounding our home is stunning.

32ºC yesterday and GingerSnap! was hot. He was inside most of the day, but loves it outside.

The chicks have really changed this week - they are two and half weeks old.

Miss Maggie is smart to stay inside when it is hot.

Spot those German Shepard ears! Molly lays down and waits for someone to throw her ball, but we have to find it first.

All the best!♥︎

Week 25 of 2025

A couple works in progress this week -

I am working on the third part of the Feldmark by Martina Behm, knit with some handspun yarn.

These are my regular toe-up socks, but I added a simple stitch pattern - Andalusian Stitch. It is a 4 row stitch pattern with 3 rows of plain knit and 1 row of knit 1, purl 1. It makes the knitting more interesting without being too complicated, and I think it works great with the stripes of the handspun.

 

Week and a half old chicks have just started getting little tail feathers.

All the best!♥︎

Week 24 of 2025

Not much time for crafting this week.

The garden is growing well, and all the plants are planted now. My youngest child works at a commercial greenhouse, and a perk is that he was given some plants that didn't sell. 

I start my own plants in the winter and usually just buy a flat of impatiens, so it has been a huge treat to have different plants this year.

We also added three more chicks to our flock - here they are at 1 day old (three Berg's Brown).

Five days old and they grow so fast - they have little wing feathers now. 

They run around flapping their wings, then need a rest.

The big hens are happy with watermelon trimmings.

Miss Maggie took up her old spot right away.

GingerSnap! wasn't too sure at first but now he finds them interesting.

The cats keep me company in the garden - Miss Maggie found a shady spot under the rhubarb.

GingerSnap! in the perennial bed,

and the bird bath.

All the best!♥︎

Week 42 of 2024

Just a few works in progress this week - 

I put my other socks on hold and started a simple pair.

Some warmer temperatures this week! I see a few ends I need to weave in.

Photos from Around - 

Poor Miss Molly sadly waiting for her most beloved to come home.

Nine eggs today - such a variety of shells.

Sparkle seems impressed too.

Well deserved treats for the hens.

Miss Maggie keeps an eye on the hens, but from a distance.

GingerSnap has been unwell again and sleeps a lot, and everywhere!

In the mint, in the garden,

In sunbeams,

Even with Miss Molly.

Sunrise

 All the best!♥︎

Week 40 of 2024

I finished a pair of socks this week - 

The stitch pattern is from the Syncopations Socks, a free pattern from Mary Henninger on Ravelry.

I also used the Gusset Heel Basic Socks by Wendy Johnson for the heel.

The yarn is some handspun that I spun during Tour de Fleece this past summer.

Luckily, since I ran out of colours, there were cooler temperatures this past week for the temperature blanket.

Photos from Around -

Miss Maggie tolerates GingerSnap a bit more - he just wants to be near her.

I had help harvesting in the garden (next year we might need a fence around the garden).

V was having a good time in the dust bath yesterday.

All three breeds are laying now (today we had 9 eggs!).

Big girls are 22 weeks.

Some stormy days, with lots of wind.

Some beautiful sunrises this week.

Molly is barely visible in the photo, but she turned 5 this week.

Yesterday's sunrise.

All the best!♥︎