It Sure Has Not Felt Like January....

Boomer

No kidding, it was in the low 60's on both Saturday and Sunday.  Overcast, but mostly dry.  Needless to say, not much got done indoors either of those days.  On Saturday, Sam and I went out into the lower hayfield and played with the drone he got for Christmas.  He needed me to figure out how to work the video camera on it while he was flying it.  I must say  it is quite an impressive "toy".  It will be fun to see some drone footage of Grover and myself running an agility course once the weather improves.   

 Driving back to the house in the buggy, I spotted what I at first thought was a tree branch in the pasture across from Mom's house.  I said to Sam that that branch looked just like a couple of really large deer antler sheds, and since there are no trees in that pasture, a branch there would have been unlikely.  So we investigated and found these

 I wish I had used a yardstick to show the scale here.  The longest tine on the antler on the right is about 10" long.  Even though these are not at all symmetrical, these are from one deer.  He is known by the guys down here on the creek as "Big-Timer" and he has been around for many years and he has made it through yet another hunting season.  I had hoped to post a trail cam photo of him along with the shed photo, but I can't seem to access it.  Maybe next time.  So anyway, finding these sheds means that it is time for the bucks to be dropping their antlers and Sam went out the next day and found 3 more, one of which was also very large.  We have a big collection of sheds and I used to have them displayed on the fireplace mantel, but it got too hard to keep them cobweb free, so I recently boxed most of them up.  Now the mantel is acquiring new shed decor.

2 down

 Sam finished the drywall on the ceiling and on 2 walls of my studio last week.  If the weather had not been so nice last Saturday, he may have gotten the last 2 walls done as well, but that just isn't gonna happen if he can be outside.  I can't really blame him for that.  Good weather in January needs to be taken advantage of.

2 to go

 Once the drywall is up on the remaining 2 walls, the mudding and sanding has to be done.  Sam installed a gas heater, but we will likely change it out for one with a thermostat on it eventually.  It is amazing how warm it has stayed in there since the ceiling and insulation went in.  

Not much else has been going on on the farm this time of year.  The insurance adjuster came out and looked at the poly-shelter and we will be getting some money toward replacing the roof on that, which surprised us.  A new roof has been ordered.  Getting it up will be fun.

I finished knitting the sweater for Sam from handspun alpaca/shetland yarn.  The sleeves are too long, so I will be taking the sweater apart at the seams and shortening them a couple of inches and re-seaming soon.  I think I could have gotten by with knitting the smaller size, but as Sam said, he'd rather it be a little loose than too small and I agree.

 

I have made good progress on the striped sweater for myself using a commercial grey yarn and some of my hand-dyed alpaca.  I usually get plenty of knitting time in this time of year when it gets dark by dinner time.  I finish the dishes and turn on Jeopardy and get comfortable next to the woodstove, usually with a dog snuggled up next to me.

I am almost finished with the alpaca scarves on my small loom at home that I posted a photo of in my last blog post.  There is a Weave Along on a group on Ravelry for any project made of linen right now and I have never used linen before.  So I bought a kit to weave a couple of linen bread bags and that will likely be the next thing on the 8 shaft Compact loom at home.



 

I have started a couple of rugs on the big 4 shaft loom at the office.  I decided to use some color in the warp and see how the rugs turn out.  I should get 2 rugs from this warp.

Grover and I still have over 2 weeks until our next trial.  I have also been looking at trials scheduled in May, June, July and August.  We will be in Zanesville Feb, March and April, but then we have no more trials there until September.  Right now I hope to be in the Cleveland area in May, Cincinnati in June, Pittsburgh in July, and Dayton in August.