Which reminds me, after posting a photo of our cow and chick shaped Christmas cookies in my last post I received this nice comment from Kathleen:
"Yay for hats in the mail! (And for Christmas cookies. Yours look gorgeous, and I love that you have some chickens and cows in the mix...which actually gives me a cool idea for giving out appropriately-shaped cookies along with donations to the Heifer Project, which I give to a few people on my list every year.)"
This made me happy because we also "shop" through Heifer International for the most satisfying gifts of all: baby chicks, gardener's gift baskets, and shares of pigs and sheep that will help families become more self-reliant. This charity is near and dear to my heart as I enjoy gardening and raising farm animals myself. I feel just like a kid on Christmas morning when the rare chicken breed catalog and the seed catalogs begin to arrive in the mail. I especially love our chickens and am tempted to add a few birds to our flock every spring despite having more than we need. As Angie, Karen, and Amber can attest, I've already pawned off our extras to everyone in town who will take them. Heifer International does more than give livestock, but donating to them is another outlet for us to share the joy of preparing dinner from the garden or gathering eggs for breakfast.
Speaking of eggs, I want to belatedly wish all my friends, especially those owned by their chickens, a Happy Solstice. The egg laying has picked up this week. I think even our feathered girls know that the days will soon be longer.
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| Happy Solstice! |
With three days to go, I'm still knitting gifts but I think the remaining works-in-progress will have to be wrapped up without being finished. The Annabella's Cowl, my designated mindless knitting for the week, and a gift for my sister, has hit a speed bump in the form of a knot where they seem to have attached yarn mid-skein from a different dye lot:
See how the color changes at the end? I've been feeling frustrated by this turn of events after cruising along on this gift, but it is hard to stay mad when this beautiful yarn is from Manos del Uruguay. The company was recently admitted to the World Fair Trade Association and has a "mission to eradicate poverty through sustainable economic development". I don't think this means they should be selling a lesser product, but it still somehow makes a mishap like this more forgivable.
I haven't decided what to do about it yet. I could make the cowl shorter, but that would take away some of the versatility that I love about this pattern. I could also rip back and reknit while alternating the different dye lots to finish it as planned. What do you think?
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Glad to hear you are starting to clear out the clutter so you can hopefully relax soon. Really glad to hear about the chickens earning their keep and can only hope mine follow suit : ) I also like the versatility of the length so would either rip back a little ways or just keep going. The colors are different but so is the pattern. You've changed to ribbing and would consider only going back to that section and start to alternate. Whatever you decide to do, it's turning out beautifully and the recipient will love it!
ReplyDeleteThe cowl looks absolutely lovely, and I think if you rip back and alternate the two strands, the different dye lot will blend in. Can't wait to see how you work it out!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the post...perfect for the giving season. Speaking of giving, thank you for the goodies. I actually got the first treat this year before B & G got their hands on them. Later that evening, there was a commotion in the kitchen, so I investigated. When I saw your tin between the two boys, I realized what the fuss was all about. B was devastated the tin had been here for most of the day without his knowledge.
ReplyDeleteIt's so nice to find another Heifer fan! (And thanks for the link to my blog, too.) I'd love to have some chickens myself someday---for now, I fortunately have a family friend who has some hens and thus eggs to share.
ReplyDeleteAnd I hope you found a good solution to the changing-dye-lot yarn, yikes!
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