Rainy day lambs
Rainy day rams
Rainy day retriever
I try not to whine about rain. Rain jump starts crops and makes the grass grow. It saves me time in watering new plantings and the new but yet unplanted red bud trees we acquired last week at the nursery.
But it makes for soggy sheep and unpleasant sheep tending. Several slipped their coats yesterday; the fabric gets sopping wet and droopy and the whole coat slips to the side. When the leg strap dangles below the hock, a sheep steps out of that strap. Then they step out of the second leg strap. Unfortunately they cannot pull coats over their own heads. So I find them dragging their coats around the pasture (like gigantic bibs) and tripping themselves up. It's a problem.
Wrestling a wet sheep out of coat is no fun. Wet sheep smell is worse than wet dog smell. Since it looks like the rain is here to stay, today we brought everyone back to the barn to remove slippy coats.
On a brighter note, I have a fun announcement for a rainy day.
I am super excited to announce our very first ever Foxfire Fiber Knit-Along featuring our new sock yarn: Cormo Flock Sock. I'm grateful to Sheep Shares member Lisa McGuire for suggesting this excellent idea.
This is how it works:
1. Procure skein(s) of Foxfire Fiber's Cormo Flock Sock yarn in a quantity sufficient for the project of your choice. Sheep Shares members have just received their shipment. I will bring whatever I have on hand to the Mass. Sheep and Wool Festival on May 28 & 29.
2. Choose your project! (We crafted this yarn with socks in mind but I am going to knit Anne Hanson's Budding Apple shawl featured in the Spring issue of Twist Collective magazine). Announce your project on the "Count me In!" thread on RAVELRY in our Foxfire Fiber Friends group. Let us know what you plan to knit.
3. Casting On - No sooner than Sunday, May 29th, the official Knit-Along Cast On date. Join us for the group cast on at 1 pm, Sunday May 29, at my booth at the Mass. Sheep & Wool Festival and we'll all cast on together! 4. Share your progress - keep us posted on your project on RAVELRY.
5. Deadline for finished projects - Sunday, July 10. (FO's should be completed, with photos and project posted on Ravelry by this date).
In order to be eligible for our 3 super-duper prizes you must have completed your project and posted it (along with photos) to our RAVELRY thread "Finished Projects" and also add to the finished projects for Cormo Flock Sock yarn.
6. PRIZES!!
We will draw three names of entrants who have met the above criteria.
Prize 1: A copy of Melissa Morgan Oakes' book: Toe Up Two at a Time Socks with two skeins of Cormo Flock Sock yarn.
Prize 2: A copy of my book: Teach Yourself Visually Handyeing and two skeins of Cormo Alpaca Lace in natural (so you can dye them a color of your own choosing).
Prize 3: A Fair Isle Surprise Bundle of Foxfire Fiber's Upland Wool & Mohair yarn.
Winners will be announced both here and in Foxfire Fiber Friends Ravelry group on Friday, July 15th.
I hope you'll join the fun. It's the first time I've ever done anything like this, so if you're a KAL veteran and see that I've overlooked an important detail (or if you have any questions), please let me know.
Happy rainy Monday.
Sounds like fun - I always love a little motivation to finish a project :)
Posted by: Lesley | May 16, 2011 at 07:21 PM
I hope there's some at the MA Sheep and Wool for me. I'll never manage to spin my share in time. If so -- I'm definitely in on the knit-a-long.
Posted by: Joan | May 16, 2011 at 07:34 PM
Uh oh, I already started a gauge swatch to see how it worked up - had to test the new ball winder and gosh, can't leave a new ball of yarn without knitting it a bit!! Does that mean I started too early??
Posted by: torre | May 16, 2011 at 09:16 PM
I will have to get some of this yarn at Mass Sheep and Wool! Now...I am off in search of patterns.
Posted by: Barbara (llamalady) | May 16, 2011 at 09:19 PM
It's extremely wet here, too. I thought it was bad in my house, with mud being tracked in by the girls and the dog, but at least my kids can take off and hang up their own coats!
I won't be at the festival, but I'll plan to cast on at 1 on May 29, nonetheless. What a fun idea!
Posted by: Valerie | May 16, 2011 at 10:20 PM
Yay,this will be great fun! I have my yarn and pattern picked out, now trying to (patiently) wait for May 29. See you all at the Mass S&W. :)
Posted by: lisa mcguire | May 17, 2011 at 06:55 AM
Sounds like fun!!...looking for patterns..YAY!!!
Posted by: Ellen | May 17, 2011 at 08:58 AM
Sigh....before I read this I had just started Wendy Johnson's Mystery Shawlette KAL (http://wendyknits.net/) with it. Her description of the perfect yarn sounded like my Sheep Shares Flock Sock, so I started it yesterday. So far it is a match made in heaven I think. Oh well....I think I'm a winner either way. The yarn is wonderful!
Posted by: Cindy in Happy Valley | May 18, 2011 at 03:25 PM