Working Outside till Dark

Yesterday I planted garlic.  My homesteading friend told me that she always plants garlic on the 15th of October so I was only off by one day.

The air was warmer than usual and the light beautiful and after dinner I returned outside shoveling and dumping wheelbarrows of compost until the last light left feeling full and complete.

Knitting and Reading

Still working on the ripple knit blanket and my granny squares which I hope will become a blanket as well.

I am looking, though, for a new pattern to try, something that isn't a long term commitment like the blankets.

I am reading a great book - Small Feet, Big Land by Erin McKittrick, recommended by Renee.

Erin and her husband are quite remarkable as they go on excursions into the wilds of Alaska with baby and toddler in tow.  They call home a somewhat remote homestead in Alaska where they work to fish, gather and grow much of their own food and live lightly.

Here is an excerpt - 

"My lack of a shower and a toilet seemed to me to be a calculated and perfectly sensible trade-off between convenience and freedom.  Freedom to stay home with a kid or to be off adventuring with him for months at a time.  Freedom to work a lot or not work much at all.  Freedom to work for free or work on my own schedule on the work I feel is important at the moment.

We live on the doorstep of wilderness, with a million-dollar view, space for a garden, a close-knit community, a cheap and debt-free lifestyle, and a schedule nearly entirely of our own making.  Could I have all that and all the conveniences of urban life?  Maybe, with enough money.  But what would I give up to earn it?"

Joining in with Ginny.

Bit and Pieces from the Last Few Days

Enjoying the beautiful purple wild asters.

Working on some ideas for Christmas gifts.

Finished another Plain Vest for my shop.

The weather has been just amazing for so long now.  What a gift.

I love the little dangling feet in this picture.

This is Polly, the meat bird, that Sarah brought home to rescue from our friend's flock of 50 chicks.

She is huge now!  We are not sure what we will do with her this winter because when we put her with the layers they beat her up terribly.  

At just 2 years old, Emmy pretty much shadows me most of the day.  So when I make bread dough, as I add the ingredients, I give her her own bowl and spoon and let her make her own using just a small amount of the flours, water, salt and oil.

Maggie Rabbit Vest Pattern and Reading

I was playing around the Plain Vest and came up with a quick-to-knit vest for Maggie Rabbit that I made from a kit for Emmy for her 2nd birthday.

Here is the pattern-

With a heavy worsted or light bulky, and size 10 needles, cast on 40 stitches.

Knit 6 rows (garter stitch)

Next row:  Knit first 5 stitches, purl to last 5 stitches, Knit last 5 stitches

Next row:  knit across

Repeat above 2 rows until piece measures about 3 1/2".

Next row:  (buttonhole row) K2, YO, K2tog, knit across

Next row and remaining rows - knit all in garter stitch

Next row:  Knit 9 stitches, BO 3 stitches, Knit 16 stitches, BO 3 stitches, Knit 9 stitches

Next row:  Knit until arm opening, Make 8 new stitches, knit until next arm opening, make 8 new stitches, knit until end

Next row:  knit

Decrease row:  *Knit 3, k2tog *, repeat across

Knit 2 rows.

Decrease row:  *Knit 3, k2tog*, repeat across

Button Hole row:  K2, YO, K2tog, Knit across

Knit 2 rows

BO

I have been enjoying this farming blog and bought their self-published book.  It is a bit about wine, but really it is about a journey toward organic farming.

Joining with Ginny today.

Enough

After reading this and then reading some essays from  The Bill McKibben Reader, that I found at a church rummage sale recently, I have been thinking more about why our family makes the choices we do.  

In Bill McKibben's essay, Consuming Nature, he points out that humans consider themselves to be the center of the universe and that consumerism is mostly about filling the "it's all about me" desire with very little thought about the consequences.

But on the flip side he brings up the point that those of us that have chosen to live more on the outside of this societal norm may also be filling ourselves with a similar kind of "this makes me feel good about myself".   You know like - "You wouldn't believe what it was like doing the morning chores in negative 30 degree weather" or "We had a home grown meal tonight - quiche with eggs from the chickens and veggies from the garden."

 Bill McKibben concludes, though, that living the latter is, of course, better for our planet.

I think, though, that there is something much deeper about choosing less and being more connected to our food, our heat source in the winter, and to each other (our family).    I find an inner peace living this lifestyle and will keep fighting off the never ending temptations of more.

Getting into a Rhythm

I am working on creating a weekly rhythm in our home, especially for the younger ones and myself.

So far we have been good about Monday being Baking Day

and 

Tuesday is Modeling Day.

Wednesday is supposed to be Painting Day, Thursday, Handwork Day, and Friday, Cleaning Day.

I am very good at starting out the week well and then somehow Wednesday and Thursday don't always happen as planned but I am getting there.

Yarn Along - Knitting Another Vest and Reading a Good Book

Still working on a row here and there on the blanket that I shared last week.

So as not to get bored, I am working on using up yarn I have on hand and knit up a beanie hat using a simple pattern from Vintage Knits for Modern Babies.  I added a wool felt heart applique.

Also, using Peace Fleece yarn I had in my yarn basket, I cast on for a size 3T Plain Vest.

I am reading Love Does by Bob Goff and am enjoying it very much.  It is really about how God uses the everyday, including our very flawed selves, in very extraordinary ways and how sometimes we need to be persistent and not decide that a path isn't the right one just because there are challenges along the way.  The author reflects on his own life which included the time he was denied admittance to every law school he applied to, but was determined to get into one school and sat on a bench outside the Dean's office for days.  Every time the Dean walked by he would tell the Dean that all he had to do was tell him to "go buy his books".  Eventually the Dean said those words.

Joining in with Ginny.