Lambsie PICTURES

this is carole holding arabella
cute huh?
she's about a week old here



a better picture?
there's bonnie being a good momma in the lower right corner


and


HERE'S BONNIE...............




a quick color/fleece note on tunis............

they are born red, and their legs and heads stay red..
they are allowed from a deep mahogany red to a lighter cinnamon red or tan
and their fleece after their lambs wool........turns various shades of cream

I would LIKE to breed for darker and redder faces and a pale cinnanom cream fleece
but we'll see what happens..........

vi

but arabella's lamb fleece is red........ and will be red if I can get her shorn in august
( carole said unless her daughter can shear, as the professional shearer won't come out for only one)

KNITTING content and arabella update

ok folks,
I had to write a short article for our local yarn store's next newsletter.
I did and since some of you won't get it......
I figured I would post it here for you all to read.

now on arabella.
I saw her thursday night.......she is double the size
and frisky, and curious, and adventureous
in short........she is everything a healthy lamb should be
I have tried to get more pictures but I am not sure how they turned out yet as the batteries are dead in my camera
I got to remember to do that later today or tomorrow

meanwhile
we are expecting a storm

so without too much further ado........
here is my short article

and my question to you all.....

WHAT IS IN YOUR toolkit????

What’s in YOUR tool kit
A tool kit in your knitting bag is compulsory. Believe me it will make your knitting life a whole lot simpler. A good basic kit doesn’t have to be huge, it can fit in about the length of a business sized envelope or a pencil case. Here is my list of indispensable tools that I just can’t leave home without:

1) Crochet hook or two, (or a double ended one) I have smaller one for sock weight or fingering yarns, and one larger for worsted. They are wonderful for dropped stitches or mistake stitches; you can ladder it up with this. Or do the chain for a temporary cast on.

2) Chibi, or blunt tapestry needle: I LOVE my chibi, as it allows me to run a lifeline, sew a bind off, mattress seams, weave in ends. And it comes in a cute little case.

3) Waste yarn, just a couple yards of a smooth dark solid color and a smooth light solid color, make this maybe a cotton or something that can slide easily. Some folks use dental floss, in the nice tiny little plastic boxes. Unless you are doing large blankets or afghans, about 2.5 yards of each is enough. I make tiny balls or sometimes wind it on a piece of rigid plastic or cardboard. Waste yarn holds stitches on an instep or where ever else you need it. Waste yarn allows you to knit in a tube and hold the place for a heel or a thumb.
You can use it with a crochet hook for a temporary cast on. See what I mean? You need this stuff.


4) Cutter of some sort for yarn, clover makes one, Clover thread cutter pendant, or you can get a nice pair of tiny folding scissors, I have even been known to carry a coupon slicer.

5) Needle sizer/gauge: you really do need some sort of measure with you, if not this….then a small retractable tape measure. ( my favorite is a sheepie)

6) Stitch markers: various kinds. These make life a LOT easier, get a special one to mark start of round. I like to use beaded ones when I can, lightweight ones for socks, heavier for worsted projects. Lace knitters, this is mandatory for you, one marker per each motif.

7) Postit notes: I like the super sticky for chart marking, also for making notes on your pattern without harming the original.

8) Pencil with a good eraser: well we all need to make notes right?
I make notes of where I left off, or if I altered stuff.

9) Emery board: get one that has a fine and extra fine side. This will smooth needles that are rough, and human nails that are rough. If you like to work with bamboo or wood needles like I do, you will occasionally get a rough tip. I couldn’t imagine having to either put down my knitting because the tip of my needle was snagging, or damage a really fine yarn.

Not necessary but kind of nice:
zip lock bag to hold your project
non-greasy hand balm or lotion
caps for your double point needles ( point protectors)
row counter
thermal gloves ( I really do like these occasionally)
a note pad
Yarn Yardage Guide ( you don’t need this, you CAN make notes to carry with you in your note pad)
Back up Xerox of your pattern

Shopping and putting together your knitting tool kit is a lot of fun. It doesn’t have to be very expensive, and as you can see, does not take up a lot of space.
I use small hard plastic pencil cases, small zippered tool bags, and an occasional drawstring muslin sack.
I hope you will enjoy this and have a wonderful time picking out a case that will make your knitting life easier.




ps for you chart knitters....... various colored highlighters are nice as well

til next time

vi here again

I been thinking

part of the fun of doing a tool kit is the containers....

so I ask you all...............

how low can you go?

how small can you go and get a full kit?

how tiny a cutter, how compact a case?

how INTERESTING a case?

I been thinking of some of the cases i have used in the past...............

i used clear plastic tubes with screw on metal tops

pill bottles

pretty and tiny decorative tins

( think sucrets or altod tins only pretty)

I dare you all..........

show me YOUR tool kits

the tool kit challenge is on..............................

( no prize or anything but it sure is fun)

and maybe if you can...........

a rough estimate of costs

so the newbie knitters amongst us have an idea

vi

arabella

ok she really moves FAST
I took 137 pictures of her and these are the ONLY ones that almost came out
plus it was COLD and the camera was slower then frozen dirt

we got BABIES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A boy and a GIRL
updated 2/15/2007
we lost cupid the boy today
the final consensus was that he aspirated amniotic fluid at birth and got pneumonia
I didn't even get to see him in person.
we hope that arabella & bonnie will continue to do well

funny, but it doesn't SEEM like 30 years

but it is
we will be married 30 years tomorrow

we will be having a very quiet and private day at home
hahahahaha

bernie and i have been talking........
we've come sooooooooo far
we've gone through soooooo much together
and yet it doesn't SEEM like 30 years

I remember at 17 years...saying wow......it doesn't SEEM that long

but it is now 30 and still doesn't seem that long

It isn't a common thing to be so in love
that you would rather live in a hovel with the person you love
then a palace with anyone else--- and have it last.
but that is how we are. And that's how we've been for 30 years.
we would give up anything to be together
we have not had it easy at times
but we stuck it out and we stuck together

we now live in our little stone house in the woods with our cats and chickens..
we board our farm animals until we can move to our own farm

we live a quiet life of happiness together
we've forged something that is ours alone
I can't begin to put it into words

even though there are times as you all know when I get mad at him
and he gets mad at me, the core is untouched.

I still look at him and get shivery,
I wait for the sound of his key in the door when he comes home from work

he still can't sleep if I am not there
he tells me that on the rare occations when I am not here when he gets home,
that the house is so empty, as if the very life is gone.

tomorrow is 30 years of life, love and shared experience

I am not stupid
I do know just how very blessed I am


we both are


til next time

vi

who wishes you all a love like this for forever

Beings I am Italian

My cousin Anthony sent this to me, or more specifically his wife ( and I adore her) Patricia,
this is so very true it's scary.
And I loved it!!!
I sent it to EVERYONE and posted it at the Knitter's Review as well.
I am putting here for me to look at now and again



FRIENDS VS ITALIAN FRIENDS


FRIENDS: Move out when they're 18 with the full support of theirparents.

ITALIAN FRIENDS: Move out when they're 28, having saved for that nice house and are a week away from getting married...unless there's room in the basement for the newlyweds. ****


FRIENDS: When their mom visits them she brings a nice bunt cake and you sip coffee and chat.

Italian Friends: When their mom visits them she brings 3 days worth of food and begins to immediately tidy up, dust, do the laundry orrearrange the furniture. ****

FRIENDS: Their dads always call before they come over to visit them and it's usually only on special occasions.

ITALIAN FRIENDS: Are not at all fazed when their dads come over, unannounced, on a Saturday morning at 8:00am and start pruning thetrees with a chainsaw or renovating the garage. ****

FRIENDS: You can leave your kids with them and you always worry if everything is going to be ok plus you have to feed them after you pick them up.

ITALIAN FRIENDS: No problem, leave the kids there and if they get out of line the Italian friend can set them straight...plus they get fed. ****

FRIENDS: Always pay retail and look in the yellow pages when they need something done.

ITALIAN FRIENDS: Just call their dad or uncle and ask for anotherdad's or uncle's phone number to get it done...cash deal, knowhatImean. ****

FRIENDS: Will come over for cake and coffee and expect cake and coffee, no more.

ITALIAN FRIENDS: Will come over for cake and coffee and expect an antipasto, a few bottles of wine, a pasta dish, a choice of two meats, salad, bread, potatoes, a nice dessert cake, fruit, coffee and a few after dinner drinks...time permitting there will be a late lunch as well


FRIENDS: Think that being Italian is a great thing.

ITALIAN FRIENDS: Know that being Italian is a great thing.

FRIENDS: Never ask for food
ITALIAN FRIENDS: Are the reason you have no food.

FRIENDS: Will say "hello"
ITALIAN FRIENDS: Will give you a big hug and a kiss.

FRIENDS: Call your parents Mr. and Mrs.
ITALIAN FRIENDS: Call your parents mom and dad.

FRIENDS: Have never seen you cry.
ITALIAN FRIENDS: Cry with you.

FRIENDS: Will eat at your dinner table and leave
ITALIAN FRIENDS: Will spend hours there, talking, laughing and just being together

FRIENDS: Borrow your stuff for a few days! then give it back.
ITALIAN FRIENDS: Keep your stuff so long they forget it's yours.

FRIENDS: know a few things about you.
ITALIAN FRIENDS: Could write a book with direct quotes from you.

FRIENDS: Will leave you behind if that's what the crowd is doing.
ITALIAN FRIENDS: Will kick the whole crowds' ass that left you.

FRIENDS: Would knock on your door.
ITALIAN FRIENDS: Walk right in and say, "I'm home!"

FRIENDS: Are for a while.
ITALIAN FRIENDS: Are for life.


also fast sheepie update............ bonnie's udders are nicely developed so it should be about a week now

Sunday is Bernie and My 30th wedding anniversary......
there is more news but right now that's all I can handle!!!

til next time
vi