Sheep on a Schedule

When the summer monsoon rains come, I let the sheep out most afternoons to graze on the green grass. They love it, of course, and it lowers the feed bill for the alfalfa hay.

Awhile back, I opened the gate for them to graze in the morning. Apparently, I messed up their schedule. All the sheep hesitated to go out, and Gimli, one of the rams, simply refused to exit at all. Instead, he shifted over to his usual spot to await hay. I finally scattered COB (corn, oats, barley, and molasses) on the grass to get Gimli out. After they ate it, the sheep dispersed and started browsing.

Seriously, guys, you can graze in the morning as well as the afternoon. Silly sheep.

Autumn Towels

I just finished weaving five autumn towels and a bread basket cloth. OK, so the bread basket cloth was supposed to be a sixth towel, but I ran out of warp yarn. Hey, bread basket cloths are good. They're all from the same warp. Changing weft yarns certainly makes a huge difference.

Madeleine

Some of this year's wool from Madeleine, one of my Cotswold sheep. Her fleece is absolutely gorgeous. It was her first shearing, though, and she was not cooperative. I had the bruises to show for it.

Knitting Lessons

I'm teaching a woman to knit who works in the same building as I do. I dropped by the other day to say hello.

When she saw me, she said, "Emergency!"

I asked, "Knitting emergency?"

"Yes!" she replied as she grabbed her knitting.

She's knitting her first slipper and somehow managed to wrap a stitch instead of knitting it. I was pleased she recognized there was an error even if she didn't know how to correct it. She's enthusiastic about knitting and already has a list of things she plans to make. Teaching is so much fun.

Herd or Play?

Yesterday, returning the sheep to their pen after grazing was easy. It was hot, and both Logan and the flock were tuckered. The sheep simply followed Logan as he ambled to their enclosure and through the gate. Below is a picture of a job well done.

Today, however, was more exciting and involved a chicken.

Instead of gathering the grazing sheep, Logan entered the barn and discovered a hen. He was in a bouncy, playful mood and started chasing her around. He plays with the chickens often and doesn't want to hurt them, but he was overexcited and kept trying to pick her up. I told him to stop, and the chicken ran off. She didn't go far, though, and Logan continued the game. I finally scooped up the slobber-covered hen, put her in the hay storage room, and gave her some COB (corn, oats, barley, and molasses) to mollify her. She can leave via the open window when she's ready.

I turned around to find the sheep entering their enclosure under Logan's watchful eye. Huh, well, that part was easy.

Vet Visit Anxiety

When you run into your vet while out shopping, someone who you usually see just once a year, and she greets you by name, does that imply that your dog is a bit too memorable?

Logan is perfectly happy to go to the vet's and to see her and her office staff, but he emphatically does not want to be examined or treated. The situation makes vet visits a challenge.

Sometimes Sheep Respond to Their Names

While taking the trash out to the road, I saw all but one of the sheep grazing nearby. Coming back, I noticed Logan had encouraged the group to move along.

Wondering about the other sheep, I asked Logan, "Where's Gimli?" Immediately, I heard a deep baa and looked up to see Gimli rounding some scrub oaks and trotting towards me. After I petted him, he wandered off to graze some more. That was a really weird experience: I had no idea the ram knew his name.

Hooded Scarf

Preferring a hooded scarf knit in one piece without picking up stitches, I designed the scarf below using short rows to shape the hood. I knitted it from 100% alpaca worsted weight yarn. It's warm, comfy, and drapes beautifully. I'm selling the pattern on my website and on Ravelry (https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/hooded-scarf-with-short-rows).