Today, I'll throw in a picture of the geese, as our geese blog entries have been so popular. We love our geese. They are very hardy, cheap to feed, and they clean up under the apple trees first thing in the morning, doing a better job than any human has ever done. The two vacuum cleaners with them (the ducks) are outstanding on a small farm. They vacuum up so many bad bugs that I don't know how we got along without them! Pleasant to have around, cheap to feed, and very hardy, I could only add one complaint...they like to muddy up the hens water, so keep hen water separate from the geese and ducks.
Pommander in front, Hyssop behind, and the vacuum cleaners.
This year, Hyssop gave us 42 eggs!
After ample moisture this summer, our fall colors are outstanding!
Whirlwind's Swirly Mittens
Made from a purebred Shetland ram (black) and Claire's dyed blue trims.
Whirly (Wheely Wooly Whirlwind...a twin born during a passing tornado) has a rich black color to his fiber, with the brown barely, barely noticable. His fiber is very soft and ideal for mittens. His fleece has unbelievable density to it and takes me much more time to shear as the more blows I make, the more the fiber just keeps coming off one spot. He has sired some beautiful lambs for us that are keepers, including Pansey, the cute little white ewe! Whirly threw lots of twins himself, and his own twin, Maewyn, has been a valuable addition to our flock. Whirlwind was named by a family member who was taking shelter in our barn during the passing storm, and asked if he could name this little lamb Whirlwind. It was quite a day!
The mittens are a pretty basic pattern. I spun the yarn on my wheel (the whole fleece) into two ply with a bit of a loose twist...typical of my style. I love soft, warm yarns and I hate to throw too much twist in and tighten up the natural beauty of Shetland yarn too much. This style makes for a loftier yarn that traps more warmth, so badly needed here in the midwest, where temps in winter can suck every ounce of happiness out of your being in a hurry, like the wind! lol The swirly blue flowers are crocheted from Claire's yarn. She is not a Shetland of course, but her yarn paired nicely with Whirly's. The big swirly flower helps block the wind from that part of the hand. Someone pointed out that the flowers make perfect nose swipes....giggle giggle. Ok! I guess that would work, too! These high performing mittens were not hard to make and anyone could do it with just two skeins of Wheely Wooly Farm yarn. Be sure to find yarn that is of light worsted to worsted weight to be warm enough around here. I knit these mittens on size 4 double points. If you don't know how to crochet the flowers, we have them made and ready for you in a variety of colors! Just hand sew them on when the mittens are finished.
(Speaking of Maewyn and looser twist, I made myself a pair of mittens from Maewyn's fleece a couple of years ago. They are my barn mittens, that take frozen metal stall latches, iced up water bucket handles, stinky creatures, and mud...lots of mud...slimy dog sticks, lambing, and all sorts of other daily barn scenarios. Despite the looser twist, these mittens are still in perfect, functional use! Trust me...they go through more than anyone else practically could throw at them! lol We are confident that your mittens will last you many happy years.)
Customers who have tried on these mittens have described them as 'heavenly', 'soft!', 'cozy', and 'the snuggiest mittens I've ever experienced'. Try some Wheely Wooly Farm yarns for yourself and make a pair for everyone in your family! What a wonderful way to love them all, with a cozy, warm pair of mittens!
(Did you know? Mittens are a fast knit, and patterns are everywhere. There is plenty of time to make a pair for family members in time for the holidays if you hurry!)
It is almost mitten time for sure. Very cute!
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