Thursday, December 31, 2020

Year of the Long Walk

2020. A difficult year for so many reasons. But also exceptionally delightful and fulfilling. I was supposed to walk across England in June. So I started training at the beginning of the stay-at-home times knowing full well that the walk would probably get canceled. Which it did. Regardless, I walked all the miles, before, during, and after. 
Spring time, March

White River at Mounds State Park, May

I took my last training walk at Mounds SP and walked the outer 3 mile loop trail three times.  
White River Walkway, Muncie 
I started my "Walk Across England" as scheduled on June 1st by walking the entire White River Walkway and part of the Cardinal Greenway. It was a most gorgeous day to start a walk around the neighborhood in Indiana.
Cardinal Greenway Depot


Old railroad tracks by the Cardinal Greenway

Walking to Alexandria

Sycamore tree damaged by May 9 frost. Leaves to follow in July.


New animal friends

Goats and Great Pyrenees

GOBBLE!

Walking to get ice cream in Gaston. 

More than cows were barking after that 6.2 mile walk. Especially after I walked back home...

Nephew came to tour the Purdue campus. Neil Armstrong's footsteps on the moon were there to greet us. Space hike!

Taking a rest with Purdue's founding father.

Taking pictures of wide open spaces: just as difficult to photograph as majestic mountain landscapes in the West. 

Rainbow!

I loved seeing the progress of the seasons!


191 miles later, June was over, and I had walked "across England," AKA the roads around my house.

"Knee high" on the 4th of July!


The pond at Fort Harrison State Park

Twin deer in the lot next door



Celery Bog near Purdue University

More bog

Lovely Fall colors at the house

Corn harvest

Soy is ready, too!





Good-bye, lovely year. December 31

So, here we are at the end, and a new beginning. I have gained health, happiness, and a new appreciation for my neighborhood and the beauty of the slow changes of the seasons. Let's raise a glass to a healthier year for all and the planet. Happy New Year!

Wednesday, December 30, 2020

Yarn Beast

I chose to procrastinate on what looked like a quick project. It ended up being a crazy big project, complete with knitting a tube longer than my torso. After starting another (incomplete) shawl by Stephen West in October, I should have known better. I finally finished The Farmer's cowl today...

This is my first completed Stephen West pattern: Painted Bricks Cowl. The Farmer was smitten with the pattern as soon as he laid eyes on it, so I knew I needed to follow through.


I appreciate the multiple ways one can wear the cowl. It is super warm, squishy, and thick.

It looks best on The Farmer himself. :)

I was hoping to use some Shady Grove yarns, but only one color was available in DK weight. Then I went on a wild stash dive, a drive to a neighboring town, and an impulse internet purchase. One of my favorite things about this project is the bright colors.

Toasty days and nights ahead! 

 Happy Knitting and Happy late Christmas!

Tuesday, December 29, 2020

Beloved Heinrich

It's the end of the Chicken Era at Shady Grove. Our dear Heinrich got her neck chomped by roosting too closely to the edge of the enclosure a few weeks ago. We had her for just over eight years. Having chickens was the best! 

We will miss her companionable chirps while tending the garden. She laid giant eggs very regularly. She followed The Farmer around the yard on occasion, and always greedily out-pecked her sister Athena when veggie goodies were thrown into the henhouse. She was beloved by so many children (and adults) who got to hold her in their arms and pet her soft feathers. Heinrich was pretty smart and returned to the henhouse... usually. Ah, the empty coop will harbor her spirit for a while. I mistakenly called out to her a few days ago. Miss you, Chicky-Doodle. Rest over easy. 

Shady Grove Chickens: November 2012 - December 2020. 

Sunday, November 8, 2020

I *tink* I Made an Error

I didn't just make one error. I made two. In the same row! So that was a fun way to start my Sunday... Oh well! That will teach me to keep reading the pattern. Always the same mistake! This is the beginning of my Slipstravaganza shawl, the 2020 Stephen West MKAL pattern. It looks like so many people have already finished, and I'm still working on section 1, released one month ago... I'm just busy tinking back, haha! 


Anyway, I thought this knit would be a fun knit to celebrate 10 years of alpaca farming. I'm using farm yarns and a special guest yarn made of yak (gray color) that I procured from a local yarn shop. We've had alpacas here since November 3, 2010. I'll be posting more about the anniversary this week. 

Last month I read Hillbilly Elegy by J.D. Vance. It had come up on several teacher pages that I follow, and so it piqued my curiosity. It provided a lot of insight into growing up in rural Appalachian America. Lots of food for thought. Check out the other knitting and reading projects at Ginny's yarn-along page. 

Sunday, October 11, 2020

Ramble On Rose

Back in early August, The Farmer decided to add one more alpaca to the herd. We really needed a friend for Dark Star, and it would be nice to possibly have another option for breeding. We headed to a farm about an hour from us, where the owners had several boys for sale. 


Introducing: Ramble On Rose! He was the most handsome alpaca, and his name was already Ramble On. Adding a "Rose" sealed the deal to keep the farm names aligned with Grateful Dead song titles.

In true Shady Grove Alpaca fashion, the ride home in the rental cargo van was hilarious. This alpaca was all about the selfies and humming non-stop. Downtime from photography sessions was spent peeing a half dozen times in the back of the van. Nothing a quick hosing down couldn't fix upon arrival.

Ramble is very well-tempered, leash trained, and easy to work with. He is also super friendly when he gets a visitor in the barn.

At home with the new siblings! The boys immediately started a vigorous neck wrestling contest. The life in the barn has completely changed. Ramble is very vocal and loves to hum and announce whatever is going on. So cute! 


 Personally, I can't wait for the spring shearing and adding another color to the Shady Grove color palette. Happy knitting!


Saturday, October 10, 2020

Yarn Along - Slouch Potato

It's been a while. Turns out teaching school is hard this year, and it takes considerably more time than in the past. But teaching is going well, in spite of being at a new school and dealing with all the pandemic restrictions and accommodations. And I did take some time away to knit a hat recently!

I adore the knitting patterns of Anne Hanson. She has a weekly weekend pattern deal, and two weeks ago her Slouch Potato hat really spoke to me. It calls for DK yarn, which I have a lot of in our Shady Grove Alpaca farm stash.

My size 3 needle is made of brass. The oils on my hands must interact with the brass, because the patterned part on bottom turned light blue. It's only slightly visible in the photo above. Fortunately, most of it washed out.

Pattern: Slouch Potato by Anne Hanson

Yarn: Shady Grove Alpacas Suri DK in Moonstar, Size 3 & 6 needles

Started: September 27, 2020

Finished: October 3, 2020


Of course I needed to pose with the lovely lady who supplied the fiber. Moonstar is pretty skittish, so there was a long haul of walking around the pen making ineffective noises to get her attention! 



In this final picture, you will notice a new alpaca in the background. I hope to finally blog about him tomorrow.

As for books, I managed to read two books by Fredrik Backman: My Grandmother Asked me to Tell You Sorry and A Man Named Ove. Both feature very quirky main characters, possibly on the autism spectrum, who have hearts of gold. They were lovely to relax to. 

Check out the other Yarn Along projects and reading lists on Ginny's page. Till soon!