Little House on the Prairie Shawl

Pioneer Girl by Susan B. Anderson

Pet, Patty, and Bunny!

Yay!  We got all three!  Pet, Patty, and Bunny!

"Bunny" is a ram, born to "Astero" and "Acorn."  He is the first lamb from the set of girls we bred to "Acorn."

"Pet" is a ewe born to "Red Heart" and "Duncan."  You can see "Duncan" below.  He is standing in front of the lambing jugs.  Lambing jugs, what a great invention!!!

The panels from our lambing jugs can be rearranged into almost any position I need with the use of removable stakes.  That makes it easy to accommodate the needs of the ewes and lambs.  You just have to love them!

Lambs - Snowy, Snowdrop, and Patty

Hello World!  We have had three lambs this season; still more on the way.

This is "Snowy," he is the first all white lamb we have had!  Of course, he was born the day before a snowstorm.  It never seems to fail that lambs are born during the most miserable weather or right before, ewes seem to have unusual timing!

I should not have been surprised that he was all white when his father, "Duncan" is a beautiful white also.  However, check out his other babies below. . . 

"Patty" was born to my sweetest ewe, "Sage."  "Patty" has earned her name from Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder.  We have been reading the series as a family read aloud and it has been great fun!  Pet, Patty, and Bunny are three of the horses in the story.  Therefore, if we have two more ewes they will be named Pet and Bunny.  

"Snowdrop" was born during a snowstorm this week.  Her mama is a solid moorit with a beautiful chocolate brown fleece.  I am surprised to only see a couple brown spots on her lamb and two brown ears.  April seems to be one of the snowiest months here in Lander, WY.

Stay tuned for more lambing updates. . . 

"Brickless" Shawl

I am teaching this shawl class at our local art center: Lander Art Center, Lander, WY on Saturday, March 28 and Saturday, April 4 from 10 am to 12 pm.

This is another delightful pattern from Martina Behm!  This is an asymmetrical scarf with three pattern repeats; lacy pattern, garter stitch pattern, and a ribbing pattern.

I made a set of cards with the repeating patterns and put them on a ring to help keep track of my rows.  As I complete a row I flip the card to the next one and keep going!

I am blocking this shawl as I write this!  I decided to block all at once because it will be hard to keep my kids away from the table for one day, let alone two days.

"Yeah, Kitty is Done!"

This is what my son shouted as I presented her to him.  She has been dubbed, "Whiskers."  

This is not the best picture but it gives you an idea of my first knitted stuffed animal!  Pattern was from "Knitted Farm Animals" by Sarah Keen.  Up next, the ewe for my middle son. . . 

Musings of a Homeschool Shepherdess

Most people assess where their lives are at each year when the new year rolls around, so, I guess I am a little late or have a more difficult time sitting down to put pencil to paper.  I have realized that my life revolves around four main themes:

1. Homeschooling my three boys;

2. Acting as a shepherdess to a flock of woolly Shetlands;

3. Knitting and Fiber Arts;

4. Building a house (this all consuming endeavor will hopefully be over by the end of the year!)

You are probably wondering where I am going with this . . . I am going to manage only one blog for both knitting and the ranch, in addition, I am going to expand the scope of my blog to include my musings on homeschooling and education.  Enjoy!