A Fine Chicken Coop

You have seen the fancy chicken coops online. Perhaps you decided you would never be able to afford to build such an extravagant coop and your dream of a backyard flock has died. Don't be discouraged! In actuality, chickens don't expect such fine accommodations. Their needs are few: food, water and protection from predators.

You may be able to find some of the building materials you need for free. Our coop was built from apple boxes, 2 x 2s, and plywood. Take a look around and see what you have. Ask your friends and co-workers if they have lumber that they want to get rid of.

Backyard chickens are a great way to begin your path to self-sustainability and they're fun! If you live in a northern winter climate, now is a perfect time to start planning your coop.

Half Done

It seems as this sock is taking forever! At least I have one sock done.



I don't like the yarn at all, it splits too much for this cable pattern. I almost abandoned the sock because of that. Another small issue is that the sock is a little baggy around the ankle.

I've started the cuff on sock #2 and with any luck it won't take me nearly as long to complete.

Bayerische Cuff

This is my third attempt at making the cuff. On my first try, my stitches were too loose. My second attempt was missing one stitch. So far so good on number three. I used the Twisted German Cast-on which can be seen here

Bayerische Sock Chart

I started knitting Eunny Jang's Bayerische sock and decided to color the sock chart so I could follow it easier. If you click on the chart it will enlarge and you can print it.Unfortunately blogger doesn't allow pdf files so I had to upload it as a jpg file.

Some Progress

I didn't complete as much of the baby surprise as I thought I would. Instead of listening to a speaker, we watched a video and I haven't accomplished knitting and watching TV simultaneously, yet. If you come camping at Lake Huron Campground You can be assured that I was paying attention enough that at least I know to call 911 if you are injured.



I started this BSJ in 2005 and all it needs to be an FO is to weave in a couple of loose ends and sew on the buttons. You'd think I could get that done without much effort. I like the collar on this one. I've made a few with a rib collar and some according to the original instructions, but this collar is my favorite. When I used to frequent the knitting forum on www.about.com, there was a woman who went by Island Knitter and she had made a lot of these sweaters. She very generously posted a lot of tips and variations and that is where I learned how to make this collar. The other day I went searching for her on the web and came across her photos on Picture Trail.

Baby Surprise

I don't know how many Baby Surprise Jackets I've made, but whenever I get inspired by someone else's creation, I want to knit another one. So here I've started one using some acrylic I bought a couple of years ago.



I used a provisional cast-on because I'm going to lengthen the sleeves when I'm done. I also don't like the bulkiness in the shoulders, so I'm hoping this will eliminate some of that.

I have an all day first-aid class today at my new job and hopefully I will be able to knit though most of it.

I tried on my vest and I don't like the fit. I haven't decided if I'm going to start over or use the yarn to make something else. At this stage, there's no way if I start over I would have it done for winter wear, so I'm working on another sock.



This is from Lisa Souza The color is Wild Things
And the pattern is Retro Rib from a back issue of Interweave Knits.

Busy Busy Me

I finished my Sockotta socks a couple of weeks ago.



I like the socks, they fit well and are comfortable to wear, but I was disappointed in the way the colors faded after a couple of washings.

I've also done a little more knitting on my vest



I might have to make the armholes a little longer, I'm going to pin the shoulders together and try it on before I start the edging.

I have a few other projects started and I purchased a little more yarn at Mary Maxim, but I'll leave all of that for another post.