Brighton Wool Gatherings at That'll Do Farm

Come on Over to That'll Do Farm

2010-09-13T07:39:00.003-04:00

It's official! The new That'll Do Farm website & blog is up and running.

If you have Brighton Wool Gatherings tagged as a favorite or if you link to this site, please change your settings so you can continue to see all that's happening on the farm.

You'll find the blog under the drop down box "Life on the Farm." Hope to hear from you on the new site.

Still Trying

2010-09-08T06:40:00.002-04:00

We're still trying to get this blog and our old That'll Do Farm website moved over to our beautiful new site.

I have my fingers crossed, toes crossed and eyes crossed (a really good look for me) that it will happen sooner rather than later.

Please be patient with us.

www.ThatllDoFarm.com will soon be our new forever home.

We're Moving!

2010-09-07T06:47:00.004-04:00

The Brighton Wool Gatherings blog is moving to it's new home at www.ThatllDoFarm.com.

Things should be up and running later today if all goes according to plan (fingers double crossed here!!). Please be patient with us during this technical transition time!

Exciting Changes at Brighton Wool Gatherings

2010-09-06T15:28:00.008-04:00

We've been busy here at the farm trying to gussy up the place and get it ready for visitors. We're moving along, but like any project, you always wish you had one more day, week, month, etc...

Knitting classes are starting, hook-ins are happening, and the chickens are laying enough eggs that we can sell them. Quite a difference from day one when the farm looked like this:

Now that ratty, old falling-down, dangerous barn is just a memory

and the garden area looks like this:

But all that old wood has been saved and we will soon start construction on a farm stand, from which we will sell produce, eggs, Christmas trees and beautiful, wonderful yarn.

The new barn now has a matching friend.

It is the goat run-in shed in the west pasture.

Once all the fencing is complete, the goats will move into their new home. The old cliche that farm work is never done is a cliche for a reason. Because it's absolutely true!

In addition to the outside work, this blog is changing as well.

Starting tomorrow, you'll be able to follow the strange, yet oddly fun, farm activities at our new website, http://www.thatlldofarm.com/. The blog and website will be incorporated into one site. Please change however you have us bookmarked to find us at our new location. You'll still be following Brighton Wool Gatherings. We'll just be at our new home on the farm.

Learn the Double Faced Knitting Technique

2010-09-05T10:54:00.005-04:00

Calling all knitters -- it's time to challenge yourself!

Brighton Wool Gatherings is offering a fabulous class on September 14 from 7 -9:30 p.m., taught by Knitter Extraordinaire Stacey. You'll learn the reversible, double faced knitting technique, which will enable you to make things like this:

or this:

The first time I saw this scarf, I was in awe. No way, I thought, would I ever be able to make that. But Stacey stuck with me and I have learned the technique. Just don't talk to me while I'm working on it. In my book, talking and double faced knitting don't mix.

Stacey will teach you the basics of double faced knitting and chart reading. Bring two skeins of contrasting yarn of the same weight and needles appropriate for the yarn you've chosen.

You'll go home with the beginnings of a knit bookmark and the knowledge, and confidence, to make all sorts of reversible projects.

Cost of the class is $25. You can register by e-mailing us at BrightonWool@aol.com or calling the farm (440-829-3644).

I love this technique. The class is perfect for any intermediate knitter (or above) who knows how to knit and purl. Don't be afraid! After all, I was able to learn how to do it. And if I can learn, you can certainly learn!

Hope to see you on the 14th!

Border Collies Bringin' Home the Bacon

2010-09-04T05:53:00.008-04:00

If you were a herding dog, this weekend you were living the dream.

Hado-Bar Farms, in the booming metropolis of Nova, Ohio, held a Herding Ranch Dog trial on Friday and Saturday. Moose and Grady were entered.

They love Hado-Bar Farms. It is where they regularly go for herding lessons. It's the dog equivalent of Mecca. Or Heaven.

It other words, it's a gosh darn good place to be.

It's full of pretty red barns, herding gates and sheep.

And Debbie David.

Debbie is their trainer. Yesterday, she ran Moose and Grady on the Ranch Large Flock course.

They got to move 25 sheep into and out of pens, through gates, around obstacles, and through chutes. All in under 35 minutes. It's not an easy task when you have 22 sheep that want to go one way and 3 rogue sheep that want to go another.

And a judge watching their every move.

Farmer Gal was called in to "scribe" for the trial. She had the task of writing down every point off the judge found with each dog. Not a fun task when the rain started!

Moose and Grady each had a good day, coming in first and second and winning with "High in Trial" scores as well.

As you can tell, they really love their ribbons.

Well, maybe they don't care one little bit about their ribbons. But they sure did like their Milk Bone treats. For them, it was well worth it.

Dog College

2010-08-29T14:38:00.007-04:00

On Saturdays, Grady and Moose head off to Sheep Herding College.

It is one of the highlights of their week. Other highlights include playing ball, saying hello to anybody (and everybody) they meet, eating dinner, going on a walk and taking a nap in a cool location. They are pretty easy to please.

But sheep herding is truly their utmost favorite thing to do. They get to see their "professor" Debbie. She's actually their herding teacher, but they call her professor. It's a sign of respect.

When they see Debbie, it's all over. They will do anything she says because she controls their access to this:

Sheep! Sure, sure, Moose and Grady have goats at home to play with, but no sheep yet.

Goats refuse to clump together like sheep. Sheep have fear in their eyes when they see these two fierce border collies crouch down in the border collie stance. Goats eye them with humor. Fear and Humor are not the same to a border collie. They prefer fear.

So off they go for higher learning each week. They are always excited to go.

That is, unless their owners stand around talking too long before actually starting the car to go to college. Then Grady looses it a bit. He's on a slooooow, looong slide to boredom. Don't worry, he knows exactly what he's doing. He's going for sympathy points so we'll start the car. His sheep are waiting.

Who's Your Farmer?

2010-08-27T08:14:00.006-04:00

I'm gonna warn ya -- I'm climbing on my soapbox for this post. And I'm going to wax poetic.

What, you ask, could possibly have me both waxing and soapboxing in one post?

Eggs.

Simple. Beautiful. Eggs. And the chickens that lay them.

The current salmonella scare has me hopping mad. I'm mad that huge chicken farms, from many states away, are treating chickens poorly, producing thousands of eggs a day and selling them to consumers under a variety of quaint, little farm names. They have cute red barns on the carton, evoking images of grandpa's family farm down the road. All the while, they are selling you an inferior product in taste and nutrition and making you sick because of unsanitary practices.

But we all have a choice. And it's simple. Know Your Farmer.

Wherever you live, there is somebody near you selling really fresh eggs, tomatoes, zucchini, milk, butter, honey, etc . . . the list is endless.

Go visit them. See how their chickens are being raised. See if any pesticides are being used on their tomatoes. And if you like what you see, buy from them.

You'll bring home a dozen of the best tasting eggs you've ever had in your life. Eggs from chickens raised on green grass. Eggs that actually have a flavor. Eggs with deep orange yolks. For goodness sake, eggs that taste like eggs should taste! From happy chickens.

Find a local dairy that sells non-homogenized milk from pasture raised cows. Ohio has two great ones:

Hartzler Family Dairy is my favorite. But Snowville Creamery is a very close second. Try Hartzler's butter, too. Your family will lay at your feet weeping tears of gratitude. Everything you put butter in or on will taste better. A glass of milk will be a treat.

People will start asking you when you went to cooking school. They'll think you've learned a fancy new cooking technique when all it really is is the freshest ingredients around.

So get to know your local farmer. Your life will improve one thousand percent. O.K., o.k. -- that might be a slight exaggeration. But I did warn you I was waxing poetic today. I'm getting down from my soapbox now.

Join us for Sit-N-Hook August 26

2010-08-25T06:12:00.003-04:00

Calling all Northern Ohio hookers (the rug hooking kind, not the other kind!) Brighton Wool Gatherings is open for business.

BWG is the "teaching arm" of That'll Do Farm. Throughout the year, we will offer a variety of knitting, rug hooking, spinning and fiber dyeing classes at the farm.

In addition to these classes, knitters, spinners and rug hookers are invited to join us twice a month for a few relaxing hours of crafting. No instruction will be provided at these informal sessions, just a bunch of dedicated fiber addicts sitting around enjoying each other's company while hooking, knitting or spinning their little hearts out.

Our first Sit-N-Hook is Thursday, August 26 from 6 - 9 p.m. For those of you that plan ahead, future hooking days are as follows:

Thursday, Sept. 23 6 - 9 p.m.
Monday, Oct. 4 10 a.m. - 1 p.m.
Thursday, Oct. 28 6 - 9 p.m.
Monday, Nov. 1 10 a.m. - 1 p.m.
Mondy, Dec. 6 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Thursday, Dec. 30 6 - 9 p.m.

The farm's address is 34634 State Route 303 in Grafton. It is 2 miles east of Route 83 and about 10 miles west of I-71.

If you're a hooker, come on out!

For the full schedule of classes and "Sit-Ins", check out our website. I hope to see you soon!

Goats at Play

2010-08-23T05:15:00.005-04:00

I thought I had slugs for goats.

When we brought these gentlemen home a few months ago, we were prepared for crazy antics. All the goat books said to watch out for these devilish trouble makers. No fence would go unchallenged. They would find somthing to get into around every corner. But all we got were cute dust mops with curious faces quietly looking at us.

Turns out we had a weather issue. It was too darn hot for their real personalities to emerge. But that all changed yesterday with a change in the weather. It was finally a day fit for man and beast.

So the goats went on a little group walk, exploring parts of their pasture they hadn't been to in weeks.

They cleaned up the husks from corn on the cob.

They climbed the goat toys we put in their pasture.

They watched us climb the goat toys.

They tried to eat the toggles off the Beekeeper's shoes when he climbed the goat toys.

Nope. Turns out they weren't slugs at all.

The true slug is the Border Collie.

Sauder Village Rug Hooking Exhibit

2010-08-19T21:28:00.007-04:00

Every year Sauder Village, a re-created, historic village in Northwestern Ohio, holds an annual rug hooking exhibit. This year, for the first time, I was able to go. And it was fabulous.

Usually, when you tell people that you're a rug hooker, they look at you kind-of goofy and say yeah, they made latch hook rugs back in the 70s. Not the same kind of rug hooking. But at Sauder, there I was, surrounded by hundreds of talented, talented people who speak my rug hooking language. I found my peeps! It was great.

The first rugs I came to were holiday themed.

Nobody loves a cute snowman more than me!

Next came the Halloween rugs.

What a great way to display these silly rugs.

And not to be left out of the mix was Easter.

This rug was hooked and attached to a chair that was cut out especially for it. Awfully cool.

Next came the special feature of the show: The Noah's Ark Rug

I've seen pictures of this famous rug in hooking magazines, but I was not prepared for how big it actually is: 5'7" tall and weighing in at 301 pounds. Now THAT, my friends, is a rug. On deck, there are more than 100 individually hooked animals, like this guy.

All together, it is stunning. And no, I will not be attempting anything like this in the near future. Or the far future. Or ever!

I seem to specialize in animal rugs. Every rug I was drawn to today had an animal as it's main theme.

There was this one of pig derrieres. Very funny.

Or the cow standing in the middle of the road. I've been on that road and I've waited for that cow to move. Loved it.

The day would not have been complete without a sheep rug. In my mind's eye, this is how I really see sheep -- fluffy, huddled masses with silly expressions.

And I loved, loved, loved this one. If I could have taken any of the rugs home today, it would have been this one. Security didn't think that was a good idea. The rug stayed.

I did come home with a new pattern and oddly enough, it's of an animal.

One of the vendors had a hooked sample of this sheep and sunflower pattern. So this is going to be my new project. It's time to color plan and start working on it. I should be done in two, maybe three years, tops.

I'm Spinning, I'm Spinning!

2010-08-18T17:39:00.009-04:00

For more than a year, I've been "trying" to learn to spin.

I've gone to clinics. I've had private lessons with Knitter Extraordinaire Stacey. I've had follow up lessons with KE Stacey but as soon as she leaves my house, I totally forget how to spin.

I even bought a spinning wheel.

The Louet S15. I was sure with a snazzy name like that, spinning would come easy. It worked for Harry Potter. He got a Nimbus 2000 and he instantly became a high flying Quiddich player. Just like that. Piece of cake.

But alas, Harry Potter is fiction . . . and a spinner I was not.

And then, yesterday, a beautiful thing happened. The "Ah-Ha" moment I was waiting for arrived. The spinning light bulb lit in my brain. KE Stacey came by for knitting night. With pity, and perhaps disgust, she showed me how one more time. And look:

I made yarn!!!

Lumpy, bumpy, fat and thin wonderful yarn. And it wasn't a fluke. This morning I could still spin. In fact, I can call myself a spinner now. Why yes, I've been spinning for three whole hours. I think that makes me a spinner.

Tonight, I think I'll try to tackle the game of Quiddich.

Moose, You May Have A Problem

2010-08-13T14:13:00.011-04:00

Meet Moose. Moose has Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.

Another name for OCD is "Border Collie."

For those of you not familiar with the breed, let's just say the term "high energy" was invented for the Border Collie. Now don't get me wrong. They are great dogs and I will never be without one. But they always, always, ALWAYS need a job to do. If you don't give them one, they freelance.

Even though Moose's job is sheep, he has decided to moonlight. Every night, he gets to run at a local park -- a local park that, earlier in the evening, is home to many little league baseball games. Moose thinks his night job is to go into the woods and look for foul balls.

What's the harm, you might ask. So the dog looks for baseballs. Big deal. Lots of dogs find balls in the park.

But remember, Moose has OCD. One ball is not enough.

His second night out, he found another. Now he has two.

Third night: third ball. I think you know where this is going.

I told you he was compulsive.

We're collecting them and will give them back to the city league at the end of the season. Or maybe we'll save them and "seed" the woods this winter so Moose can continue to find them. Sort of like an easter egg hunt for dogs.

I think he'd like that.

Learning to Dye Naturally

2010-08-11T19:45:00.009-04:00

Farmer Gal and I tried our hand at natural dyeing yesterday. Now don't get worried. That's dyeing with a "y" not an "i". BIG difference. Never confuse the two!

We went to a natural dyeing workshop sponsored by the Black Swamp Spinners Guild in Northwest Ohio, where we learned to dye fiber with various plant material and other natural things. It should have taken us about two hours to get there. But thanks to the ever-correct Mapquest, it took three.

But I shall not complain about that because it was one more hour in an air conditioned car and not out in the Ohio summer sun. At 11 a.m., this was the temperature:

I quit looking after that. I simply didn't want to know.

We broke up into groups and tried our hand at dyeing with all sorts of things, including walnuts,

indigo,

and marigolds.

Then we over dyed the marigold with cochineal and got this stunning orange/red color.

My dyeing partner took another skein of the marigold dyed yarn and over dyed it in indigo to get this fabulous green color:

Maybe if I had studied the color chart more in high school art class instead of making silly doodles, I wouldn't have been so utterly shocked at the whole blue/yellow/green concept.

I felt very much like Ma Ingalls out on the prairie dyeing wool with items gathered from nature. Then I got back into my air conditioned car to drive home and was reminded how very happy I am to be living in this century!

Barn Recycling

2010-08-08T12:16:00.011-04:00

We're gettin' there folks, we're gettin' there.

This is the old barn. It's currently looking a bit "airy," don't you think. Not a whole lot of protection from the elements going on here.

The old barn had to come down for a variety of reasons.

Ugliness being the main reason.

Instability and ricketyness being reasons two and three.

So we started tearing it down in late winter. And a new barn was built.

The new barn is beautiful. It only has one fault. It's full of animals. Generally, that's the purpose of a barn, but we have "stuff" in addition to animals. Mowers and tools and golf carts and bee keeping stuff. Where to put it all?

The only logical answer: a mini barn/storage shed. It's a junior version of it's big brother the barn. Lots of "stuff" can go into this barn-ette. (Dare I call it the man cave?)

But the old barn did not give up it's life in vain.

Some of the wood is being stored in the new barn for later use.

The old windows will be turned into cold frame tops later this season.

The rest of the wood went to build the chicken duplex.

And the old metal roof will go on the new goat/sheep shed going up this week.

There's not much left of the old barn.

It will be torn down later this week. I think of it as the ultimate recycling project.

Meet My New Friend Guido

2010-08-05T08:32:00.005-04:00

Meet my new buddy Guido.

He's about as handsome and full of personality as they come.

Guido is a 10-week old Cane Corso puppy. He belongs to Knitter Extraordinaire Stacey and her husband Vic.

Cane Corsos are type of Italian Mastiff. The breed is "strong, sturdy and athletic; ready to meet any challenge" (I think we could use more people with those characteristics!). They were bred to hunt wild boar (the animal kind of wild boars, not the human kind you meet at parties.)

Hard for me to believe that this sweet, sweet dog will grow into something "ready to meet any challenge."

I think the only challenge he is facing now is fighting off a nap.

Then I looked at his paws. This baby has a wee bit of growing to do.

I plan to stay on his good side. When he's 110 pounds, I want to be his friend. I sure hope he doesn't find me to be a wild boar!

I Love My Bees!

2010-08-01T13:49:00.003-04:00

Bees are lovely creatures.

Oh sure, they fly around making noise and can sometimes sting the beekeeper (that's why the beekeepers on this farm are my husband and son and not me!). But I still love my bees. All 70,000 of them.

If we didn't have bees, we couldn't dip blackberries, fresh off the stalk, into honey from the hive. You have no idea how wonderfully splendid it is to stand in the field and dip warm, ripe blackberries straight into honey your own sweet bees produced. It's like heaven.

The bees are doing their job throughout the farm, happily pollinating their little hearts out, and giving us honey as a bonus.

The summer squash thank them.

And while the bees don't necessarily pollinate the tomatoes and the

super beautiful purple potatoes,

I won't hold it againist them. They are doing a magnificant job. Keep working bees. Keep working!

Goin' on a Goat Walk

2010-07-27T06:49:00.004-04:00

Over the years, I've asked my daughter to do some really odd things. But I've never asked her to do this before!

"Dear Darling Daughter, would you please bring a couple of your friends over and walk the goats."

"Ahh, mom, did you say 'walk the goats'? You've finally lost it completely mom."

She may have a point. But the goats needed practice walking on leashes. The farm has a lot of open, unfenced pasture area between fenced in pasture areas. When it's time to change pastures, they have to be walked from one to the other.

We could take a chance and move them with a grain bucket at the lead, but I didn't want to chance it. Besides, anytime you can get teenagers to do silly chores, it's worth it.

So The Woman's friends, Liz and Joe, came to help walk goats.

Joe may have missed the "walking" part of the instructions. I want to see their back-to-school essays this fall on "What I Did Over Summer Vacation". You try explaining goat walkin' to an English teacher.

An Ohio Heat Wave and Delicious Produce

2010-07-24T17:26:00.006-04:00

Heat rash. Heat exhaustion. Heat stroke. Heat cramps. Heat hatred. I'm pretty sure I've had them all in the past few days. Especially the last one. Yuk! I've never so much wanted a swimming pool as much as I do right now. Or maybe a slip-n-slide. Or even a sprinkler. ANYTHING!

Also on my wish list is an automatic fly killer. Some of these babies are the size of small birds. I swear they create a draft when they fly by. They are leaving holes in my skin the size of the grand canyon.

But the heat and the flies are worth it (she says from the indoor comfort of an air conditioned office), because it's time for produce! The garden is really kicking into high gear. Tomatoes, zucchini, Swiss chard . . . all are producing well.

But the king so far has got to be the potatoes. We dug up a few varieties yesterday and they are spectacular! Buttery tasting, creamy, flavorful -- I'm in potato heaven.

The blackberries are slowly ripening. They are just starting to come on in force. Tomorrow promises to be a big picking day.

And the eggs. I recently had a little chat with the chickens. I felt like we were doing an awful lot of feeding and they weren't giving back. Sure, we'd get an egg here or there, but not the numbers we were looking for. I'm chalking it up as a simple misunderstanding; they just didn't understand the whole give-and-take process.

After our discussion, they stepped up production. But they still are having trouble committing. We are getting 11 eggs a day. Holes in cartons for are 12, not 11. I'm not asking for much ladies, just one more egg a day. Work with me here!

Uniformity of size is another issue we're discussing with them. We have your basic overachiever chicken (note egg number 4 from left, bottom row) and underachiever chicken (egg number 3 from left, bottom row). I'm all for chickens being individuals, working at their own pace, yada, yada, yada -- but enough is enough.

I'm going to go easy on them for the time being. After all, it's hot for them too. But once this heat spell snaps, they had better get on board.

A Field Trip to "Slow & Easy" Alpaca Farm

2010-07-20T15:16:00.009-04:00

That'll Do Farm is a member of the Ohio Natural Fiber Network, a group of fiber producers and artists dedicated to producing quality, local fiber. Once or twice a month we get together to discuss all things fiber. And eat snacks. But the emphasis is really on fiber. Honest.

Today was a group field trip to Slow & Easy Alpacas in Wellington, Ohio. It's a beautiful farm, complete with a gracious hostess, and it was a lovely day for a tour.

We saw the pond, which looked darn inviting on this warm, but not unpleasant, day.

We saw the little get-away house by the pond . . .

displaying a sign with which I can agree. Apparently we were invited guests because I didn't find a single bullet hole on me.

We saw the beautiful old barn with new siding.

And we saw the old milk house. At one time, this farm was a dairy farm. Milk was pumped from the red barn, underground, into holding tanks in this milk house.

At this point, I'll admit, my brain went off in a direction completely different than calm, normal "Farm Tour Mode." My inner Nancy Drew took over. As a kid, I loved Nancy Drew books. I would read them from cover to cover in a single day, out under the big weeping willow tree in our backyard. Nobody dared bother me while I was reading Nancy, wishing I could be a super sleuth just like her.

If you were/are a reader of Nancy Drew books, you'll know why the image of Nancy sprang to mind so quickly when I saw this milk house. This is exactly where a mystery would have occurred -- a mystery that only Nancy was smart enough to solve. It has all the classic elements needed for a Nancy Drew story: Underground storage tanks -- an old boathouse by the pond -- secret passageways -- an old barn with multi-levels. If this doesn't scream vintage Nancy Drew, nothing does! If I had a trusty roadster and a couple of best friends named Bess and George with me today, I'm sure we would have solved The Milk House Murder. Maybe the No Trespassing sign wasn't a joke after all???? What if danger lies ahead?

. . . but, alas, it was not to be. I snapped back to reality and we continued our tour. It was easy to see that danger did not loom ahead. The only thing looming were these wonderful alpacas. These were the friendliest group of alpacas I'd ever met. Head scratches, ear rubs -- they loved it all.

Slow and Easy Alpacas is a wonderful farm, whether your imagination runs wild with Nancy Drew or with alpacas. I hope the next farm we tour doesn't have hidden staircases, or secret clocks, or diaries with clues. I hope its just a regular old fiber farm. They are exciting enough for me!

A New Cria Arrives!

2010-07-18T13:18:00.005-04:00

Today has turned out to be an exciting and happy day, but it sure didn't start out that way.

Charlie's Angel was overdue with her first cria and today was the day she decided it would be born. All was progressing smoothly and then it came to a halt. We had one head, one fully extended front leg and the toes of another leg. For over an hour. No progressing. The vet was called. He'd be here soon, within an hour.

Farmer Gal, being the expert animal human that she is, sprung into action. She and her husband knew the cria's elbow was stuck. Out came the gloves and the gel. In went Farmer Gal to release an elbow. Within minutes of the elbow being released, out came the cira.

Mother, baby, and Farmer Gal are all doing fine!

The little cria was trying to stand and get her sea legs, but she took a tumble over her mama instead.

This was a rough delivery, but the happy family is enjoying some quality bonding time in the sun. Farmer Gal and her husband are celebrating with Diet Cokes . . . and all is well at That'll Do Farm.

Ladies & Gentlemen, We Have a Website!

2010-07-16T20:09:00.004-04:00

After many, many, MANY weeks, we've got ourselves a website.

First, let me state for the record that I Am Not A Website Designer. I'm not even sure I like computers all that much.

But a website we needed, so a website we designed. Farmer Gal and I are practically bald for all the pulling out of our own hair we did as we went through this process.

So, without further ado, please hop on over to the site www.ThatllDoFarm.com for a little look-see.

Come on back to the blog and let me know what you think, if you have any suggestions, or if you'd like to know where to send the champagne for our "Thank Goodness that Design Project is Over" party I know we need to have!

New Skills Are Hard to Learn

2010-07-10T07:58:00.004-04:00

Farmer Gal and I are attempting to learn how to spin on a wheel.

To say the learning process has been a labor of love would be a slight exaggeration. We recently attended an all-day "Learn to Spin" clinic taught by the Black Swamp Spinners Guild, near Toledo.

To say "black" and "swamp" matched Farmer Gal's mood as she learned to spin might not be a slight exaggeration. Why do other people make spinning look so easy, yet we had such a hard time of it? To quote former skating champ Nancy Kerrigan, "Why, why, why!!!"

Yet, we persevered. Slowly, yarn, not thick rope, began to appear on our wheels. I then decided a wheel of my own was necessary so I could torture myself at home.

Welcome to my world Ms. Louet S15. You are currently hated, yet I have faith I will learn to love you. Knitter Extraordinaire Stacey came over to help me along on my spinning journey. She is an excellent teacher because this spinning thing is starting to make sense. Why just yesterday I spun inches, yes I said inches, of yarn. I will get the hang of it. I shall not be beaten by a wheel!

But Farmer Gal and I were not alone in learning new skills. The chickens had to learn how to walk down a ramp this week. (Oh, if only we were chickens. Walking down a ramp is so much easier than spinning yarn!)

Farmer Gal's husband cut a hole in the chicken coop and built the chickens a ramp to their beloved pasture. I apologize in advance for this next line: but they were "chicken" to use it.

Eventually, they summoned all the courage they had in their little chicken hearts and down the ramp they went.

In fact, they were so thrilled with their new skill that each and every one of them practiced it all evening long.

Lesson learned. We too shall practice.

Keeping Cool, Farm Style

2010-07-07T12:05:00.007-04:00

Ohio has been stinkin' hot this week. I hate stinkin' hot. Mildly unpleasant I can deal with. While not a fan of uncomfortable, I can get by in uncomfortable. But stinkin' hot is not pretty, nor is it fun.

The alpacas are not fans either. But they have found ways to avoid the heat.

The ladies have taken up swimming.

O.K., let's be honest here. They are not technically swimming; it's more like wading. In a purple kiddie pool. In the middle of a barn in Ohio. But they've never seen a real cement swimming hole, let alone the ocean, so let them think it's swimming. Anything to beat the heat.

Not to be undone while the gals were lounging pool-side, the boys were soaking up the cool breezes of their fan -- their top knots blowing in the wind.

On the other hand, the goats don't seem to care that it's hot, hot, hot.

They think it's fun, fun, fun to climb into the wheelbarrow while their human is cleaning their pen. Barrel of monkeys, those goats.

And where one goat goes, many follow. Because two goats in a wheelbarrow are much more fun than one goat.

The weather channel assures us the heat will leave us by Saturday and we'll only have regular, 85 degree days. We're looking forward to that -- the alpacas are demanding more pools if this heat keeps up.

Goat Freedom Day

2010-07-01T17:58:00.006-04:00

Yesterday was Goat Freedom Day at That'll Do Farm.

Now before you go getting all worked up and calling the Animal Protective League, I don't mean freedom in the "turned loose into the big, bad world, see you later baby" kind-of way. I mean they were finally turned loose onto pasture. We had to keep an eye on them in the barn for a few weeks after their arrival to make sure all were healthy. Since they all passed their healthy kid test, out into the field they went.

That's Donatello, Michelangelo and Raphael enjoying their first few moments of Goat Freedom Day.

That's the rear end of Leonardo on the left (he's camera shy), and on the right we have Fred. Fred was not named after a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle. After all, there are only four turtles. Fred was named after a very dear friend of my husbands. We're still trying to convince him that having a goat named after you is an honor, not an insult.

They seemed to be enjoying their pasture time. If I didn't know they were goats, I'd call them pigs. These boys can eat!

If you are ever lucky enough to meet an Angora goat in person, approach them with your hands clutched over your heart. They will most certainly steal it as quickly as they have stolen mine.

Our Chickens are Growing Up

2010-06-28T14:56:00.008-04:00

The adventures in chicken keeping continue.

Farmer Gal and I have been raising about 40 hens since the beginning of February. Silver Laced Wyandotte, Americana, Welsummer, Golden Comet, and Black Jersey Giants -- we've got 'em all. Even more varieties of heritage breed chickens (Buckeyes and Buttercups) are coming next month.

We brought the "girls" home when they were two days old -- on a very cold, wintry day. But oh boy, how time does fly. It seems like just yesterday we were watching them as little, fuzzy peeps, exploring their new chicken coop duplex, under the warmth of their heat lamp. Now we have to worry that they have enough water for the hot, hot days.

In the Spring, we moved the girls outside to free range among the bugs, grass and grit. Then the girls decided to rebel and not come back to the coop until dark. They had turned into Teenagers.

We decided they needed a little adult supervision. Indeed, they needed a fenced yard.

So we built them one, with lots of t-posts and 4' wire fencing

and a beautiful old wooden gate.

Some of the girls got the idea right away and went to the inside part of the fence as we were building it.

An Americana girl, always the problem child in the group, had to be picked up and placed on the correct side.

To further highlight their transition from childhood, through the teenage years and now, into early adulthood, one of our girls rewarded us with The First Egg of the Year. We don't know which specific chicken layed this egg, but judging by the color, we are guessing it's one of the Silver Laced Wyandottes. (Americanas lay blue or green eggs and the other girls are a month or two too young to lay eggs.)

It's a beauty all right. And look at the size of that baby. Why it's large enough to feed one half of one small child. You cook that egg up with one slice of bacon and a shot glass full of juice and you have a meal fit for a very small human.

But, we are looking at the bright side of this diminutive egg. It's just the first egg, from the first chicken -- sort of a test egg. We know that the eggs will get bigger and the chickens will become more prolific in the coming weeks.

After all, our girls are growing up.

Busy Days on the Farm

2010-06-27T07:30:00.008-04:00

Whew. I wish somebody would have told me Spring and Summer were busy times on a farm!

Oh wait. I knew that. THIS is the season we've been planning for all Winter long. And now it's here and there is a wee bit to do.

So much work, in fact, that we brought in child laborers to pull weeds.

Alright, alright. Now before you go calling child services on us, this young, dedicated field hand is Farmer Gal's youngest granddaughter, also known as Munchkin No. 2. She was in town for a few days so we put her to work. And don't worry that we worked her too hard. She soon lost interest in the garden and moved on to other things, which left us to harvest the Swiss Chard on our own.

So pretty and so tasty. Yum!

Beekeeper Mike has been busy in his bee yard. Honey production is in full swing.

The bees do not have a shortage of flowers near by.

This pretty plant is Butterfly Weed. I keep waiting for butterflies, but have yet to see one land here. However, I firmly believe in the "if you plant it, they will come" school of gardening, so I know butterflies by the thousands will soon find this plant and make me happy.

We hung this sign near the chicken coop, hoping to give the chickens some encouragement, but we're still waiting for our first egg. They should be old enough in the next week or so to start laying, and then look out. We've told them we expect an egg out of them every day-and-a-half. Let's hope they understood us.

Last week, I went to Columbus with Lee Ann from Midwest Fiber (http://www.midwestfiber.com/) for the Knitters Connection (http://www.knittersconnection.com/). Lots to see and touch, but I was fairly good, limiting myself to one major purchase.

Look how pretty! This is from http://www.coloraturayarns.com/

It is a set of four skeins of hand painted yarn

and a hand painted, matching silk scarf. You knit a simple scarf from the enclosed pattern, making "button holes" near one side of the scarf as you knit. The scarf is then threaded through the holes and can be tied in a variety of ways. Can't wait to start working on it.

But, alas, it is summer and garden, fence, and animal chores are calling. I'm sure it will rain one day soon and I will be forced inside to knit my little fingers silly.

The Cria has a Name!

2010-06-24T06:54:00.005-04:00

After much debate, and computer problems that caused many of the comments to not get posted, That'll Do Farm is ready to announce the name of cria number 2:

Meet Annalise. She is ready for her close up as she appears to be smiling for this picture!

Jean, from Rocky River, Ohio, is the winner. Let me tell you, picking the winning name is no picnic. There were so many great entries, it was really hard to pick the one that fit the cria. We'd read each name, roll it around a bit, and then go out to the barn to look at the baby while saying the name.

One name that gave us fits was Audrey, sent in by Jenny. The cria's mom is named Funny Face.

Audrey Hepburn was in the movie Funny Face. Audrey Hepburn is delicate with dark black hair. What a great idea! What a great story to tell! Then we went to the barn and looked at the cria and called her Audrey . . . and it didn't work.

The problem is both Farmer Gal and I know people named Audrey -- and their images kept getting stuck in our heads and not the image of Audrey Hepburn with her dark hair and child-like personality. With much regret we passed on Audrey.

Sweet Adeline, Annie, Abby, Alberta, Annabelle -- you guys made this tough! Loved them all, but, once again, they didn't fit the young lady.

Then the name Annalise came along. And it fit. It means "Graced by God's bounty." And this cria, who almost didn't make it, is most certainly graced.

A heartfelt thank you to all who entered. We appreciate the time and effort you put into your suggestions. Please come on out to the farm and meet Miss Annalise in person!

Bringin' Home the Goats

2010-06-18T19:11:00.008-04:00

I can honestly say I've never had a day like this before.

It all started innocently enough.

Farmer Gal and I met at the farm early this morning to prepare her SUV for goat pick-up.

We were driving to Pennsylvania to pick up the five Angora goats I had put a deposit on back in March. The goats were finally old enough to leave home and live with us.

So we taped canvas drop sheets everywhere. We put up a barrier between the front seats and the cargo area.

We added newspaper for bedding and to help absorb any you-know-what. And then we drove three hours, through half of Ohio, briefly into West Virginia and into Pennsylvania to bring home five colored Angora goats -- because they are too darn cute for words. (Oh yeah, and they have wonderful fiber!!)

We loaded the young men up and headed home.

But first we took them through the McDonald's drive through in Wheeling for iced coffee and yogurt parfaits (O.K., that was for us. They weren't hungry.)

A few hours later, we were back at the farm, ready to unload our unusual cargo.

A gentle nudge was all it took to get them to leave their traveling pen.

They did leave quite a mess behind. After all, they are teenage boys.

These are the two brave ones; the "leaders of the pack." Meet Donatello on the left and Raphael on the right. (Are you sensing a theme here? If you guessed Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, you are correct! See what happens when you let your kids name the kids.)

Raphael is already my favorite. Bold. Beautiful. Raphie and I are going to be good friends. I can feel it.

I'll introduce you to the rest of the crew tomorrow. They were a little camera shy on moving day so we'll give them some time to settle in before their debut. I'm pretty sure they've never had a day like this either!

Name the Baby Alpaca & Win Yarn!

2010-06-15T22:41:00.007-04:00

I know, I know . . . I promised this post a day or two ago and you've been anxiously waiting to enter the "Name the Cria" contest. I could feel you getting madder and madder as the hours went by. But we had a good reason for the delay.

We weren't sure the little gal was going to make it. Turns out this beauty was about a week premature and just wasn't doing what newborns should be doing, like nursing. The vet was called in and he whisked her away to the vet hospital for a transfusion.

She came out a new alpaca! The transfusion worked, she's nursing, she's running around the barn like a crazy lady and we believe she is out of the woods.

NOW it is time to name her!

So here's the little darlin'. She is all black and cute as a bug. Her mother's name is Funny Face and her father's name is King Cole.

We've decided to name all the alpacas born this year with "A" names to help us remember which year their were born. The other cria born this year is named King Arthur. So put your thinking caps on and come up with the best darn "A" names you can think of.

The person submitting the winning entry will win three balls of this extra lovely natural black alpaca yarn from "Smitty" at Promised Land Alpacas (http://www.blackalpaca.com/).

It's easy to enter. Just leave a comment at the bottom of this post. The winner will be announced this Sunday, June 20th. Remember, the name must start with an "A." We're looking forward to seeing all your creative entries. Good luck!

Meet the New Alpaca Baby!

2010-06-14T07:23:00.004-04:00

Sheee's Hereeeee!

Meet Funny Face's new baby girl, affectionately known as Baby Number Two. She arrived yesterday morning, around 10:30 -- right after Farmer Gal went into the house to do some paperwork.

Baby Number Two had a bit of a shaky start. Funny Face's milk was slow to come in, but finally, around 4 p.m., it did and little Number Two was a happy camper. She was soon frolicking with the herd.

Funny Face and cria are doing well this morning.

Your mission, should you decide to accept it, is to start thinking of cria names as another naming contest is in the works -- check back this afternoon for more details!

The Garden is Thriving and the Chickens are Growing!

2010-06-10T13:45:00.006-04:00

We've had a lot of rain recently. And heat. These are not two of my favorite things, but, from a gardening point-of-view, I'm trying to love them both.

The garden is really starting to thrive. Potatoes, tomatoes, garlic . . . all are coming along nicely.

The Italian Pole Beans are newly planted and are doing well.

We've been harvesting the Swiss Chard and it is delicious. Sauteed in a little olive oil with garlic, balsamic vinegar and salt and pepper and dinner is served!

The dill is ready to be trimmed and then added to cheddar/dill scones or put into dip or served with grilled Salmon. All delicious and once again, dinner is served!

These early crops were a "test" for That'll Do Farm. As a new-to-the-market grower, we are trying to determine which crops we like best and how much to plant. The answer with dill and swiss chard: plant more, more, more! Our peas are not producing as well and they will not be given garden space next year.

We are pleased with the growth and progress of the "new" chickens. This group of chickens arrived about two months ago. They are Black Jersey Giants, Welsummers and Golden Comets.

This week, they were allowed out of the chicken coop duplex for the first time to free range with the big chickens. All are getting along well so they will soon move in with the big girls.

The big girl chickens went to Farmer Gal Marilyn's beauty school this week for a wing trim. They were starting to fly a bit too much (like into the pasture for a brief encounter with several alpacas!) so their wings needed to be clipped. It's a quick, painless trimming and they are good to go.

Their nesting boxes were installed and we are now waiting for the big chickens to get a little bigger (and older) to start laying eggs. We hope to have eggs, tomatoes, garlic, potatoes, pumpkins, herbs and cut flowers for sale starting in late July, early August. I will keep you posted.

Two Pregnant Alpacas

2010-06-08T15:59:00.008-04:00

We're back on baby watch here at That'll Do Farm -- alpaca baby watch that is.

Funny Face's cria is due on Friday. So we do what all expectant relatives everywhere do. We take unflattering pictures of her stomach -- just so she can have something to remember as she looks back on the months of her pregnancy. She'll thank us; I know she will.

That's Funny Face on the left, next to Krispy Kreme. (Can you guess how Funny Face got her name? Go ahead guess. I bet you'll be right!)

Charlie's Angel is due in July. We got a picture of her growing stomach too. We didn't want her to feel left out.

And then there is Krispy Kreme. She is not pregnant, but she's my favorite so she makes the cut for this post because of that. (If you felt her recently shorn fleece, she'd be your favorite too!) Krispy Kreme was acting very brave today. She is the only alpaca out of the twelve living here that has yet to climb on the mound. Maybe she's afraid of heights. Maybe she doesn't want to show off her climbing skills. Or maybe she's just a big chicken. But for whatever reason, today she thought she'd give it a try.

One foot in front of the other . . .

. . . and victory is hers! She is brave. She has conquered her fears. She has mastered the four foot "mountain." And I love her even more because of it.

Alpaca Shearing Day!

2010-06-03T11:59:00.012-04:00

Yesterday was shearing day at That'll Do Farm, and the day couldn't have gotten here soon enough!

It's been hot, hot, hot and as humid as a rain forest. Not exactly fun weather to hang around in if you are wearing as much fleece as this guy:

Definitely time for a hair cut. Time to take the winter clothes off and put on the summer shorts and t-shirts -- show some skin.

There now, doesn't Mick look sooo much cooler! Doesn't even look like the same alpaca. He's just kicking back and enjoying the cool breezes as he stands there in the buff.

Six-week old King Arthur (or Artie as he is affectionately known) was the first to be sheared.

Quintessa, his mom, watched from near by. Mary Jane Fox, the shearer, said Quintessa needs to be by his side, smelling him, while he's being shorn so she recognizes her newly nude baby and doesn't reject him as an interloper.

Shearing is a labor-intensive day so Farmer Gal called in the troops to help.

Jan, bringer of the best donuts in the world, came for head holding, nursing wisdom, and all around gal Friday support. (I am convinced the world runs on donuts. I am equally convinced that I personally run on those frosted coconut devils. Too good for words.)

Farmer Gal Marilyn, aside from orchestrating the entire day, was taking fiber samples to be shipped off for analysis. She'll learn the fineness of each fleece, which is important to her breeding program. She is totally into the breeding and lineage of each alpaca she owns, choosing the right males to breed to each of her females to create the best fleeces out there. If you want to talk alpaca bloodlines, she's your gal!

Friend Suzanna came to watch and help. She took great pictures and was a huge help in the kitchen when it came time to feed the crew. Marilyn's daughter, Alison, spent the day doing heavy lifting and wrangling alpacas, cutting their toe nails and trimming their bangs and legs. Her friend Ashton was also extremely helpful in the heavy lifting department and in the alpaca hugging department.

It was a long, tiring day. And nobody worked harder than Dewey, the guardian dog. In fact, she worked so hard watching everything that she had to take a 3-hour nap in the middle of things to rest up for the rest of her day of watching. In my next life, I'm coming back as Dewey.

The Great Lakes Fiber Show

2010-05-30T19:58:00.002-04:00

Rule No. 1: When Attending a Fiber Show, Do Not Take the Husband Along
Rule No. 2: All Rules are Meant to be Broken

This weekend was the annual Great Lakes Fiber Show in Wooster, Ohio. My friend Stacey (aka Knitter Extraordinaire) has a booth there every year. This is the second year I've tagged along to help set up and tear down. Today was tear down day. Today, my husband wanted to go along.

So off we went, cash tucked deeply into my wallet so that it wouldn't jump out at every opportunity, thus scaring the poor husband to death. I was fine, until I ran into my old buddy:

I swear I hear this yarn yodeling (www.BriarRoseFibers.net) from six booths over. So, what's a wife to do but offer to make her husband a sweater from this fabulous yarn. He gets his long-awaited sweater, I get Briar Rose yarn. This is truly a win-win situation.

He picked out the color he wanted. Knitter Extraordinaire found the perfect pattern to go with it:

And all was right with the world. He then went off to watch the sheep auction (nearly coming home with a small flock just by scratching his head at the wrong time!) and I went off to see what else was at the show.

I found a beautiful swift from Knitting Notions (www.knittingnotionsonline.com) at a great price. We needed one for the soon-to-be-store so this was the perfect purchase.

A friend in California has asked for a yellow and kelly green scarf -- colors I don't usually use. I love dark, earthy colors. Bright colors send me into a tizzy. But I found the perfect yarn

for this project. I may have to wear sunglasses as I knit, but at least I like the feel of it as it's merino and mohair.

The day ended with a stop at the Hartzler Family Dairy's ice cream shop (www.hartzlerfamilydairy.com) outside of Wooster for some homemade ice cream (perhaps the real reason the husband wanted to come along on this adventure???).

Yarn shopping, sheep looking, and ice cream. It was just about a perfect day.

Life off the Farm

2010-05-27T13:11:00.002-04:00

Every once in awhile, a girls got to do something other than read sheep/gardening/knitting/rug hooking books, or dig in the garden, or hang out with the animals, or the bees. So the husband and I decided to take Italian language lessons. No big trip to Italy is in our immediate future, although who knows, maybe some day we'll go. We just wanted to do something different.

Once a week, for the past 16 weeks, we've been going to La Campagna (www.tastytomato.blogspot.com), a wonderful local Italian restaurant for lessons. A fabulous teacher, Alexis, puts us through our paces each week. I will admit to being the slowest in the class -- but I am working on it and I can now say valuable phrases in Italian like "How much does it cost?" and "Where is the bathroom?" -- much needed sayings, I agree, but hardly enough to sustain a conversation. So we will be continuing with the lessons next month.

I will also admit to being at the head of the class when it comes to enjoying the out-of-this-world-good Italian food Carmella, La Campagna's owner and chef, treats us to each week -- all made with the freshest and most local ingredients around. Yesterday, was our end-of-the-term potluck party.

You all missed a feast.

The owners of Lake Erie Creamery are fellow students and they brought a sampling of their cheeses. (www.LakeErieCreamery.com). I urge you to run, not walk, to buy their products. You will not regret it -- not for one little, bitty moment.

Carmella made oranges drizzled with olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper. One taste of this unexpected combination and you'll think you've died and gone to heaven.

Fellow students provided the rest of the feast, including the most delicious Italian bean salad I've eaten. It's kind of hard to go back to eating the regular, every day food I cook after being treated to such garlicky goodness!

So after a few weeks of "Spring Break", we will go back to Italian classes, where I will continue to struggle but enjoy every minute of it. I just hope I can pass the final. I know I'll have no trouble passing the final potluck "exam!"

The Call of the Wool

2010-05-22T07:10:00.008-04:00

I am deeply flawed.

I do not have the ability to finish a knitting/hooking project before I start another one. There. My secret is out. The wool calls me. It pulls me into its fiber-y softness and begs me to start something with it. And I am not strong enough to resist.

This beautiful Blue Faced Leicester yarn from Briar Rose (http://www.briarrosefibers.net/) in Michigan is a perfect example.

I was sitting there minding my own business when this yarn jumped out of the on deck circle and demanded I make something with it. I tried to tell it no, but even Hercules couldn't resist 100% Blue Faced Leicester yarn -- and I'm no Hercules. To top it all off, it's green. I go weak in the knees for green. So I started a scarf. After all, I'm only human.

Meanwhile, I have one-and-a-half socks done. This pattern and yarn is from Ellen's Half Pint Farm (http://www.ellenshalfpintfarm.com/) in Vermont. These socks are easy to knit and it shouldn't take me long at all to have a complete set -- you know, both the right and the left sock. But no, I keep getting pulled away by other yarns so I have a sock and an ankle warmer. The good news is that they are going to be a Christmas gift, so I do have some time. But who knows how many other things will call me away by then!

Other things like this small rug from Spruce Ridge Studios (http://www.spruceridgestudios.com/) in Michigan. It was an quick and easy little kit to hook and I was done with it in record time. Except for finishing the back. That involves sewing and I hate to sew. So it is added to my list of unfinished projects.

It's going to rain today so that means no garden work for me. Maybe I'll sit down this afternoon and try to finish one of these projects . . . but I do have that beautiful, naturally dyed yarn from Maine I just got . . . Oh no, I feel another project starting! Send help, people, send help!!

A Big Work Day at the Farm

2010-05-15T19:37:00.013-04:00

Yesterday was a big, eclectic work day at the farm.

First, we had to find a home for the new decorative sheep I received as a birthday present. Finding the perfect location for a decorative sheep is not easy. We had to try several spots before a new home in front of the house was selected. Exhausting work, absolutely exhausting.

Then it was time to watch the really big, loud truck dump another load of ground asphalt for the base of the new parking lot. I said important stuff to the operator like, "Looks good" and "Yup, that should do it for today." I think drivers of heavy equipment like help like this.

Then we had to move the new baby chicks into the chicken coop duplex. They have one side of the duplex and the more mature young lady chickens have the other side. Once these gals get big enough they can be introduced to the others and all will live in chicken harmony. Until more chickens arrive in July and we start all over again.

Then we moved on to bee work . . . and it is here the story turns ugly. It was a warm day yesterday and both hives were quite active. That should have been a warning to the beekeeper, but alas, it was not.

Beekeeper Mike opened up the first hive to check on the queen. The bees did not take kindly to this brash intrusion. They sent a few thousand bees out as a warning -- the bee version of a shot across the bow.

But the beekeeper was brave and a mere warning shot would not stop him. He kept on, checking frame after frame. The bees couldn't take it any longer and went on full fledge sting attack. The only recourse for the beekeeper was retreat.

At a fast clip. Lesson learned. Do. Not. Work. Bees. When. They. Don't. Want. To. Be. Worked. Period!!

To make up with the bees, we bought them a few cherry trees. We hope they like our peace offering.

Best Cousins Ever

2010-05-12T08:21:00.004-04:00

I officially have two of the best cousins on the face of the planet. You may think your cousins are the best, but it's an illusion. I have the best ones, hands down, and I know it.

Cousin Michelle is a very talented artist. She has been hard at work creating a logo for That'll Do Farm -- not an easy thing to do considering we will be raising alpacas, sheep and goats and want all of them on the logo. Try fitting all of that into one design! In the few weeks, we will be unveiling our completed logo. I hope you like it as much as we do.

Other cousin Renee is also very talented. Her talent is remembering special occasions and events in people's lives and never letting them go uncelebrated.

So today I answered a knock at the door and was handed this by a delivery person!

Today is my birthday and cousin Renee decided I needed farm cookies from Cookies By Design (http://www.cookiesbydesign.com/), in honor of That'll Do Farm.

So, I got a barn

a cow,

and a sheep.

You've got to admit that these are about the cutest darn things you've ever seen! They look too good to eat . . . almost. They smell fabulous, but not one nibble will I take until the whole family can see them. This is truely testing my will power.

But, more than anything, I am truely lucky to have such great cousins. A girl couldn't ask for better family members!

The Overwhelming Sheep and Wool Festival

2010-05-07T07:03:00.005-04:00

Farmer Gal and I spent last weekend at the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival.

My head is still spinning! It could have been the heat -- 95 degrees -- or the humidity -- enough to make my hair grow to epic '80s proportions.

It could have been the crowds. This picture was taken at 9 a.m. -- on the way in to the festival. Who knew there were so many people wild about wool!

It could have been all the classes and demonstrations. There was so much to learn and jam into two tiny days.

The number of sheep breeds assembled in one place was staggering. We know for sure we will have Blue Faced Leicesters. But so many other breeds were intriguing it was hard to narrow it down. Merino, Cormo, Cotswold, Karakul, Jacob . . . so many choices!

But deep down, I know my head is still spinning because of the yarn.

Yarn like this stunning, naturally dyed 65% Mohair, 45% Merino yarn from Maryland.

Or this solar-dyed-in-seawater yarn from Seacolors in Maine.

The tag says the yarn will "bloom and soften with age." If only we could all be so lucky! I've loved Seacolors yarn since reading about it in Shear Spirit (http://www.shearspirit.typepad.com/). The book highlights 10 fiber farms across the country, including Meadowcroft Farm, home of Seacolors yarn. Love the book; love the yarn; and hope to love the sweater I will knit with it. We'll see how my skill level holds up!

Farmer Gal and I are already plotting our Sheep and Wool festival strategy for next year. Crowds, heat, humidity -- they are no match for us!

We Have a Name for the Cria!

2010-05-03T16:41:00.005-04:00

We asked, and you responded!

Last week, That'll Do Farm put the word out that we needed your help in naming the first alpaca cria born on the farm. And help you did. We should have known that knitters/hookers/spinners/farm-lovers are creative people with funny and fascinating suggestions for names!

So without further ado, let me introduce to you King Arthur.

We had to agree with "RoamingKnitter", who suggested the name, that he does look regal, in a sillly, baby alpaca, knock-kneed-kind-of-way.

RoamingKnitter wins two balls of lace weight 100% alpaca yarn from Juno, an award-winning alpaca. Congratulations!

We'd like to say an enormous thank you to all who entered the contest. We checked the comments each night and had long, drawn-out discussions about each entry (yes, we are crazy and obsessive about things). We went back and forth with several of the ideas, but in the end, King Arthur won out. You can call him Artie, or Art, or King, or cute little ball of fuzz. All work just fine!

To those of you who entered and didn't win, remember we have several more alpacas due this spring so start thinking of more boy and girl cria names. We've decided to stick with "A" names for the remainder of the year so we can keep track of the year each animal was born. Put your thinking caps on and thanks again for your input. You all made naming an animal a lot of fun!

Enter the "Name the Baby Alpaca" Contest and Win Yarn

2010-04-27T13:29:00.012-04:00

After much anticipation and worry, the first cria (that's what baby alpacas are called) was born at That'll Do Farm. We waited, and waited . . . and then we waited some more.

But finally, Quintessa had her first baby -- 10 days overdue. It's a boy and he's a beauty -- well worth the wait. Mother and cria are doing fine.

Let me introduce you to . . .

. . . that's the part we don't know!

What do we call his hunk of a young alpaca? We've racked our brains out here on the farm (which is very painful by the way -- I don't recommend it) and came up with nothin' good in the way of a name. The baby's father's is Vengador's Accoyo Tachon and the mother's name is Accoyo Quintessa.

So we are calling on you to help. Leave your idea for the perfect cria name in the comment section below by Sunday night, May 2. If we pick the name you've suggested, we'll send you your choice of one of the following alpaca yarns:

Two balls of this beautiful, grey color from "Pride of America". Or

Three balls of this super soft Rose Grey lace weight yarn from "Bossanova". Or

Two balls of this exceptional, lace weight white yarn from "Juno". Or

Three balls of worsted weight deep, black yarn from "Smitty".

All the yarn comes from championship fiber animals owned and raised by Promised Land Alpacas (http://www.blackalpaca.com/) in Chardon, Ohio. The yarn was spun by Morning Star Fiber in Apple Creek, Ohio. It is all in it's natural color, just like it looked when Bossonova, Smitty, Juno and Pride of America were grazing out in their pastures. (Well, maybe not "just" as it looked in the pasture. It has been washed and gussied up a bit. We don't think you'd want it with hay and straw and "other" things still stuck in it!)

So put your thinking caps on and send us your suggestions for the perfect alpaca name. You could soon be knitting with 100% artisan alpaca farm yarn. Enter by Sunday night, May 2nd. We'll announce the winner on Monday, May 3rd. Good luck!

A Baby Alpaca Arrives at That'll Do Farm

2010-04-22T06:43:00.007-04:00

Quintessa had her cria!

She was more than a week overdue, causing much hand-ringing and teeth-nashing of the humans on the farm. But Wednesday morning, Farmer Gal walked into the barn at 7:30 and there was the newly minted baby alpaca, learning to stand on his wobbly legs.

He is almost too cute for words.

Shearing Day at an Alpaca Farm

2010-04-19T20:07:00.011-04:00

Friday, Farmer Gal and I went to help with alpaca shearing at Promised Land Alpacas (http://www.blackalpaca.com/). I'm using the term "help" loosely as it pertains to me, considering my previous shearing experience adds up to a big, fat zero. This was my "rookie" session. Needless to say, they gave me the easier job of moving the fleece to the sorting table.

Farmer Gal is a more experienced helper. She got to hold the alpaca's head. I may have job envy.

I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of the day and found the whole experience fascinating. Mary Jane, the expert shearer, was wearing ear plugs

and I'm pretty sure it wasn't because of the sound of the equipment. I asked so many questions I might have been mistaken for a Chatty Cathy doll. Note to self: Stop Talking! Let the shearer work!!

These young ladies were in the "on deck" circle, patiently waiting their turn. (The one in the middle is Debutante. She belongs to Farmer Gal.)

Veterinarians Ed and RuthAnne McCaslin own Promised Land Alpacas and were there to tranquilize the alpacas before shearing. Not every farm chooses to tranquilize for shearing, but it sure made it easy to work on the animals. Plus, while they were on the shearing table, Dr. Ed was able to do some dental work, check their toes for mites and complete some general health check ups.

While he was doing all that, Mary Jane "shop vacs" loose dirt, straw and hay out of the alpaca's fleece.

Then it's on to the actual shearing.

Now comes my big moment. RuthAnne and I carried the shorn fleece, on a sheet of clear plastic,

over to this skirting table. You'll all be so proud -- I didn't drop a single fleece.

Then RuthAnne works her magic.

She showed me how to "skirt" a show fleece -- meaning clean out the great fiber from the less-than-great fiber and get it ready to win a blue ribbon at the next show!

By the end of the day, many of the alpacas were sporting new 'dos.

And I learned that for alpacas as well as humans, it's vital to pick a good "hair dresser." Mary Jane is an excellent alpaca shearer. The animals look great, the fleeces look great and all is well with the world.

A New Home for the Chickens

2010-04-14T09:42:00.011-04:00

The chickens are very, very happy with us these days.

They've been moved from their excessively large cardboard box in the farmhouse to their newly-renovated-yet-still-retaining-the-old-charm chicken coop overlooking the alpacas.

It was about time. They are eight weeks old and way too big (and smelly!) to be living inside the house.

Farmer Gal worked on cutting wire to keep vermin out.

Her husband Mike worked on all sorts of last-minute carpentry to make the coop livable.

Twenty more chicks arrive on Monday so the coop is actually a duplex, with a wire divider inside to keep the new arrivals separated from the old pros until they all agree to get along. Then they can all live together in chicken harmony -- I'll keep you posted as to how that's working out!

My husband Mike and I worked on setting out the bee hives. The bees arrive next week and the hives need to be in place. We selected a spot near the back of the farm, across a little creek and up a slight incline. We're trying to make it as remote as possible so visitors to the farm won't be afraid of being stung.

The hives have a windbreak on the west side and are facing the east to catch the warmth from the rising sun. I'm pretty darn sure these bees are living better than I am!

And all of us are on alpaca watch. Quintessa is now officially overdue causing nervousness in the humans. I'm going to go have a talk with her later this afternoon to see if maybe we can speed things up a bit!

A New Toy for the Farm

2010-04-10T21:04:00.008-04:00

Today was like Christmas in April. Farmer Gal's husband brought home a new toy -- and it's a beauty!

There she is, in all her glory. A stunningly elegant used golf cart in black, with shiny chrome rims and extra sturdy tires. I adore her.

We can now take family and visitors to the back reaches of the farm that may have been inaccessible to them because of mobility issues.

We wanted to give the pretty little cart a proper welcome, so we took her on a test drive. We visited the pond, where daffodils were putting on a nice show for us.

Then we went a little further back on the farm and found a whole lane of these happy looking Trout Lily wildflowers -- a splendid carpet of yellow.

But it won't be all fun-and-games for the little black golf cart. I can think of all kinds of things she can haul for us -- water, hay, produce. Tomorrow, she will moving bee hives to their permanent home as it's time to set the hives in the field. Next week, the bees arrive -- by mail -- lucky postman!

But since today was little black golf cart's first day on the job, she got to just look pretty. No heavy duty hauling for her.

We did the work while she lounged pond-side.

We spread manure/straw bedding on the soon-to-be-garden. The soil here is heavy clay so we are adding all the organic matter we can get our hands on to it. This will be tilled in, allowed to break down, and then more organic matter will be added, all summer long. Hopefully, this soil will then be rich and fertile by next Spring. A girl can dream, can't she!

King of the Mountain, Alpaca Style

2010-04-08T15:32:00.008-04:00

In Northern Ohio, this is a mountain.

It's actually a small mound of soil left over from building the barn.

But don't tell the alpacas.

They love their "mountain" and they spend their days running up and down it.

Sometimes they just roll around on or near it . . .

which can be utterly exhausting.

But certain alpacas think of themselves as the King of the Hill (Technically, it should be Queen of the Hill, but the game has always been called King of the Hill so we'll go with that.)

Charm and Funny Face are in the middle of a large turf war.

Both want to be the sole King, but they are learning to share the kingdom.

However, I think their reign will be short-lived. Star snuck up to the mountain top when nobody was looking and declared herself to be the undisputed King of the Mountain.

A New Pasture

2010-04-04T08:20:00.004-04:00

Yesterday was a serious work day at the farm. Yesterday, we weren't messing around with small shovels and little rakes.

Yesterday, we brought in the big guns.

This is Chad and Mr. John Deere. Both live down the road and yesterday, both came to work in the west pasture.

The west pasture is about as lumpy and bumpy as it gets, with all kinds of scrubby bushes and really, really sharp, pointy sticks that attack as you walk through.

So Chad came over to plow it all up. He'll be back tomorrow to do it all over again and then drag it the day after that to flatten it all out.

The goats and the sheep could handle the lumpy and the bumpy and even the scrubby and the sharp. But, we plan to offer sheep herding classes in the upcoming months and the humans could not go cavorting through this mess. It's a great way to break an ankle, which is not really what sheep herding is all about.

So enter Chad and Mr. Deere.

They made quick work of the pasture. And, if our current string of good weather holds, we'll have fresh pasture grass growing soon. Cross your fingers for a perfect spring, with rain only when we want it and warm-ish, sunny days!

A Beautiful Spring Day Means More Fencing

2010-04-03T07:02:00.008-04:00

Eighty five degrees and sunny. Who knew you could say those words and "Northern Ohio in April" together in the same sentence, but yesterday, we could.

The farm has been so wet this Spring, we haven't been able to get into any of the gardens or fields to work them. I tried a few days ago, but the mud sucked off my boots, leaving me standing calf-deep in mud in my socks -- a most uncomfortable feeling, but pretty funny for any on-lookers!

So the past few days of unseasonably warm, dry weather has us scurrying about with a thousand must-do projects. The first big one is to get a fence up around the garden.
The fence is not intended to keep deer out -- I'm hoping five dogs running around the farm will do that. No, the fence is intended to keep the five dogs out.

And the chickens. I'm all for free-range chickens just about anywhere on the farm, but NOT near my soon-to-be tomatoes. I would no longer look kindly at them if they ever discovered the tomato plants.

Our future egg layers are getting quite big.

They have been moved to a very large cardboard box in the farmhouse while the finishing touches of their coop are completed. That's a project for today.

But don't think they are lonely in the house. They have a very good friend in Grady.

He likes to spend his time "herding" them.

Black Swamp Spinners Guild Market Day

2010-03-29T11:52:00.029-04:00

I'm doing my best to boost the economy.

This past weekend was the 25th annual Black Swamp Spinners Guild Market Day and Fiber Fair in Bowling Green, Ohio. Beautiful, hand dyed wool and rug hooking supplies could actually be heard calling my name -- out loud -- and repeatedly.

And because I want to help the struggling economy, I listened. And I acted. That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it: shopping was a selfless act done only to help my fellow Americans. (Let's see how long I can get away with that one!!)

But really, can you blame me when Spruce Ridge Studios (http://www.spruceridgestudios.com/) was there with one of the best rug hooking displays and sales area I've ever seen. Check out some of the gorgeous rugs that were on display:

The colors were fabulous.

The hooking was outstanding.

I was like a kid in a candy store. I wanted to make each and every one of them -- especially this one.

But I limited myself to this simple kit.

It's easy, it's little and quick, and most importantly, I have a thing for pumpkins. So it came home with me.

Along with this beautiful wool for a bunny rug I'm working on.

Then I moved on to yarn and knitting. Briar Rose Fibers (http://www.briarrosefibers.net/) was there -- which is very dangerous for me. Their hand painted yarn makes me want to weep with joy (perhaps a slight overstatement, but true non-the-less!)

I have no idea what to do with this yarn, but again, I bought it to help the economy -- honest.

Plus, it's green. The color green is like kryptonite to me.

I then moved on to the Lavender Fleece Farm & Pottery Studio (http://www.lavenderfleece.com/), growers of Icelandic sheep and many varieties of lavender. Perhaps an Icelandic sheep or two is in my future. I am very intrigued by them. A piece of pottery and a bar of lavender soap from this interesting farm had to come home with me.

After all, the husband is becoming a beekeeper, so he needed the bee bowl and everybody needs soap, right? Again, I did it for the sake of the economy.

And there is no reason on earth I needed this needle felted tiny bunny, but it was darn cute and it's a week before Easter so it had to come home with me, too.

I just hope the rest of the country appreciates all I am doing to stimulate the economy.

A Miscellaneous Week at That'll Do Farm

2010-03-22T14:11:00.008-04:00

Last week was an odd week at That'll Do Farm. Nice Spring weather hit full force and sent us all working in a thousand different directions.

I'm showing Farmer Gal's daughter, Alison, how to rug hook. This is one of her first attempts. Not too shabby. Alison is an artist with a great sense of color. She has read all the rug hooking books and magazines and has attacked rug hooking with gusto. She is a natural and I do believe a true hooker has been born!

Farmer Gal and her husband brought another of their alpacas home. This is Mick.

I love him. He has the most beautiful fleece -- you just want to stick your hands in it. I can already picture the sweater it could become. And Mick is a nice boy: calm, curious and a non-spitter -- a pleasure to have at the farm.

In anticipation of Mick's arrival, Farmer Gal and Mike were hard at work fencing off more pens in the barn. Mick, being the handsome boy that he is, can not live in the same pen with the lady alpacas on the farm. He needs his own area -- I think you get the drift.

Last week was also the start of office building in the barn.

One section of the barn is being finished off to create a nice, warm insulated office -- quite the luxury on cold, winter days. A few more days of pounding, sawing and general noise-making and the barn office should be ready.

Who knows what this week will bring. I know garden planting and a fiber show are definitely on the agenda. Farmer Gal is keeping her eye on Quintessa,

a very pregnant alpaca that is due to have her first cria in the next few weeks. Spring promises to be a very busy season at the farm!

That'll Do Farm's Official Greeter

2010-03-19T14:24:00.013-04:00

I have been remiss.

It was recently brought to my attention that this blog has featured four of the five dogs of That'll Do Farm.

You know all about Moose and Grady,

the two border collies that enjoy frequent sheep herding adventures.

You know about Annie, the little mixed-breed-border-collie-look-alike that enjoys hunting all the vermin on the farm.

And you've recently been introduced to Dewey,

the Great Pyrenees livestock guardian dog that lives with the alpacas.

But you have not met Jack.

Jack is Farmer Gal's huggable Golden Retriever. (Think of him as Dug from the movie "Up." He is that loveable.)

His official job at the farm is "Greeter." He loves all forms of human- or animal-kind.

And he is fearless.

Here he is braving the cold, deep waters of the kiddie wading pool on a hot summer day. Fearless, I tell you. Just fearless.

Actually, he's so laid back he thinks why do you need your whole body to go swimming when just the paws need a good cooling off.

A rousing game of tug-o-war with Grady is about as worked up as you'll see Jack.

And even then, he wastes no energy. This is the cool-down phase of his play session combined with the actual play session. After this, he took a nap. For about three days.

But he will be at the farm, waiting for visitors to rub his head and tell him he's a good boy . . . then it will be nap time.

It's My Friends Fault that I'm a Slow Knitter

2010-03-17T17:34:00.007-04:00

I want to go on record that I am NOT a slow knitter . . .

Well, that might not be true. Let me amend.

I want to go on record stating that my friends hold me back. It's their fault I'm a slow knitter. Yeah, that's better.

Last night was the monthly knit-together at my house with a group of women I've known for two thousand years. I was to finish this double-knit hat that I've been working on since there were leaves on the trees.

Not One Stitch Was Added!! There was way too much talkin' goin' on.

We discussed the texture of tofu (yuk, yuk, yuk no matter what Jan says!), where Marjorie's daughter is going to college (University of Michigan is one of the options. As an Ohio State Buckeye, I had to object.), Peggy's day at work at the middle school (spring fever has hit the teenagers -- what joy!) and Farmer Gal's recent success at the alpaca show in Columbus.

She took home a first and second place with two of her alpacas. Go Farmer Gal and her husband Farmer Mike!

We also solved the national health care issue and forged world peace. Why don't the politicians come to knitting night. All the world's problems would be solved!

What wasn't taken care of was knitting. In fact, I'm not sure anyone even picked up their needles. So you see, it's really not my fault. These women are holding me back, leading me down the wrong path. I'll be stronger next month. Next month, I plan to knit an entire row during knitting night. Now that is dedication.

A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood

2010-03-12T06:36:00.007-05:00

Yesterday was indeed a beautiful day in the neighborhood. Sunny, 65 degrees, the sight and sound of hundreds of red winged blackbirds singing in the morning -- just perfect.

We discovered some "volunteer" flowers we didn't know were planted. It sure is nice to see growing things where three feet of snow were just a few days ago.

In fact, it was so nice yesterday, I decided to be forgiving of all the mud.

This is the soon-to-be asparagus and rhubarb field. It might be a "few" more days before I can get in here and amend the soil. But I'm ready.

And how could anybody not love this mud-bucket.

Dewey is coverd from head

to paw in mud. I have never been so happy to have a dog live in a barn as I am this spring. No muddy dog prints throughout the house, no mud-dog smell, no shaking off of mud onto all the walls. I love a barn dog.

Oh wait . . .

This guy lives in the house. Somebody call the maid. What's that you say? We don't have a maid. I am really in big trouble here!

I'm "Almost" Finished with my Rug

2010-03-09T06:24:00.003-05:00

The rug that I have been working on for a million years is almost finished! Now don't get me wrong. I love this rug, but I've been working on it forever.
I am not known as a fast hooker. (You can only say that to other hookers and fiber people. Out in the real world, saying you're not a "fast hooker" would get you a few looks, snickers and raised eyebrows!)

Now it's time to finish the rug. I hate this part. Sewing and binding the edges -- yuk! But it must be done so I'm off to the basement to have a discussion with the sewing machine (we don't really get along) about zig zagging. Then I'll have to meet with the needle and thread and rug tape. Another discussion I'm not looking forward to.

But after all those conversations, the fun returns. The three sheep in the rug will be needle felted in, and I love to needle felt. Then the rug is done and can hang at That'll Do Farm. And I can start another rug!

I bought myself a grown-up frame this weekend so I guess my next rug will be something big.

For years, I've been hooking on a small lap frame, which I like, but it's tough when working on a big rug. So this baby is on stand-by for my next project. I think we're going to get along just fine.

A friend is hooking this stunning rug:

These are all colors that would work in my house. Do you think if I ask her nicely, she'd give me her rug (after it's been finished and the edges bound, of course!) Doesn't hurt to ask, right!

Sheep Herding School

2010-03-06T17:44:00.007-05:00

Moose, Meredith's beloved border collie, went back to sheep herding lessons today. (We call it "Moose College" just to make him think he's really smart. Even dogs need ego boosts.)

He hasn't been at college for a few months and was a bit rusty. But don't worry. His trainer, the wonderful Debbie David, has everything under control. Moose will do anything Debbie says -- he loves her that much.

He tries really, really hard to listen to Meredith.

But sometimes his dog senses take over and he does a "come by" way too fast.

So she gets the sheep back in line . . .

. . . and gets Moose in line.

And all is right with the world.

But even if it wasn't, not to worry. We brought along Annie The Enforcer.

She may be tiny, but all creatures have a way of doing what she says.

Sheep, be afraid, be very afraid.

Halter Training and a Vet Visit

2010-03-03T10:36:00.007-05:00

Hi there:

This is Steeler, a young male Suri alpaca that has stolen my heart.

At least I think it's an alpaca. If I told you Hollywood created a new animal and then showed you this:

you'd believe it was a made up animal. Maybe part donkey, part something-from-Star-Wars. He's too darn cute to be real, but real he is. And yesterday was halter training day.

Farmer Gal is getting ready to take a few of her alpacas to an alpaca show in Columbus and needs to train them to walk on leads with a halter on. And to be weighed. He's getting the hang of it.

He walked right up on the scale for his weigh-in. What a good boy.

Next was Charlie's Angel. Charlie is a beautiful girl with a nice fleece and a fun, quirky personality. But she's not a fan of the scale.

Farmer Gal is wisely ducking as Ms. Angel is just about to spit to show her distaste for the entire weigh-in process. Have you ever been around a spitting alpaca? It's not too bad, except for the rancid, sour milk smell. Oh yeah, and the green stuff that gets stuck to everything it hits -- including you. But there is really only one major spitter at the farm. And as long as you know how to duck, you're o.k.

Then came the vet visit.

All alpacas have a microchip inserted behind their ear when then are born. But, for whatever reason, the chip could not be found in the ever-lovely Crispy Creme. So, under the watchful eye of Steeler, the vet came out to chip Crispy.

She is such a good girl, she took it all in stride. Not one spit.

We got a reading on the chip so all is well. And we all managed to get through the entire process without a direct hit of green spit. I'd call that a successful day.

Still Winter in Ohio

2010-02-26T12:43:00.004-05:00

Yup, it's true. Still Winter in Ohio. If you look at it logically, it makes sense. It is only February.

But who wants to look at it logically!

Well, maybe this young lady.

Dewey is delighted to sit in her pasture and watch the world go by on a cold and snowy morning.

And these two don't seem too upset about taking their walk in the woods behind the barn on a snowy morning.

And I was certainly prepared for a snow hike (I stole my daughter's snowshoes to make it a bit easier to dog-walk through the woods. But don't tell her -- she's not too fond of liking things if I like them too! It's a teenage girl thing.)

So, all-in-all, this new winter storm full of snow and drifts and wind isn't too bad. After all, it is only February. But come Monday, March 1st, it had better be out of here. March is all about kites and lambs and spring flowers. Snow will not fit in the picture starting Monday!

Chicken Obsession & a Huge Rug Completed

2010-02-24T08:50:00.010-05:00

I know I've said this before, but this time, it's official. I'm over the deep end; I've lost my marbles; let's just say it plain -- I'm a nut job. All because of chickens.

We picked up 22 chicks yesterday and I love them. No, no, no, not the "Oh look how cute they are" kind of love. This is the stare-at-them-for-hours-like-you-do-when-you-bring-home-a-new-baby kind of love. I don't want to use the word obsession because then you'd really think I was crazy. I mean, who in their "right mind" would be obsessed with 22 little balls of cuteness. (Me, me -- the answer is me!!)

We already think we can tell the personalities of several of them --
and this is after only a few hours of "bonding."

Call me what you will, but I love them, I do. And I will love their little egg-laying selves forever!

To prove I'm not obsessed with chickens, I'd like to show you a picture of my latest rug hooking project.

See, if I were obsessed with chickens would I have found the time to hook this enormous 4"x 6" super difficult rug? Of course not. (This tiny mat was a kit given to me years ago. I finally hooked it and had it framed to hang in the studio, just to prove that I can actually finish a wool project!)

So, all-in-all, I think I'm perfectly balanced. I'm a proud chicken-lover and a hooker of a completed project. Of a rabbit -- I wonder what rabbits are like? Do you think the farm needs angora rabbits? Maybe we should get a few rabbits. We could spin their fur.

Oh, somebody stop me, I feel another obsession coming on!

The Chickens are Coming, The Chickens are Coming!

2010-02-22T17:12:00.012-05:00

Tomorrow is the big day folks. Nine, that's right, I said nine, day-old chicks will call That'll Do Farm home. Farmer Gal and I will drive down to the hatchery to pick them up.

The chicks will live here

until they are big enough to move to the chicken coop. Their home is set, the bedding is down, water and food are at the ready, and, most importantly, their heat lamp is ready to go.

We'd ordered 25 chickens from this particular hatchery, but the rest of our order is on back order. Who knew you could back order chickens!

Tomorrow's chickens are Ameraucana -- they are the chickens that lay the pale blue and green eggs. (Cuts down on the dyeing for Easter!)

We're still waiting for our Buckeye, Welsummer and Buttercup chickens.

All-in-all, we should have about 50 laying hens by summer. (I'm thinking souffles, omelets, egg salad, cakes, etc..) We will be offering eggs for sale at the farm, probably starting in late summer. If you haven't had a farm-fresh egg, you haven't had a real egg! Nothing beats the taste of eggs from chickens free-ranging in the garden and pasture. Delicious -- I urge you all to try them. I guarantee you will not be sorry!

House Arrest

2010-02-16T17:51:00.008-05:00

I'm under house arrest.

For the past two months, I've been enjoying a nasty case of bronchitis. I think the family has finally gotten tired of me sounding like a 90-year-old man who has spent his life down deep in a coal mine. I am forbidden to leave the comfort of the living room couch until the nastiness has left my lungs.

Normally, this would make me very angry. I don't sit still all that well. But today, it's not so bad. The Olympics and the local public library have come to my rescue. Who knew curling and snowboard cross could be so interesting! Those two sports have a new fan in me.

I've been meaning to watch this 4-million-hour video forever, so this is the perfect excuse to

indulge.

If you haven't seen this mini-series yet, run, don't walk, to your nearest video store/library to get a copy. It's fascinating.

I've also finished a knitting project that I've been working on since early December. Yup, here's my aunt's 2009 Christmas present, as it looked on Christmas Eve.

Looks like she'll get it for Christmas, 2010!

Next, I'm starting a pair of socks with this pretty yarn.

and another hat with this Andes yarn.

All-in-all, house arrest isn't too bad -- as long as I have wool, videos and Olympics. But I still want it to be over!

Yarn Shopping and an Organic Food Conference

2010-02-14T12:43:00.012-05:00

Winter weekends around That'll Do Farm sure are busy. Not busy on the actual farm itself (just the regular "same-old, same old" work there), but busy with "farm-related activities."

This weekend, I attended the Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association's annual conference in Granville, Ohio, which is outside of Columbus. I stayed in the beautiful Granville Inn . . .

. . . with a view from my room's window of The Buxton Inn across the street.

I love The Buxton Inn -- because it's old and because it's haunted! I've stayed there in previous years, but have never met a ghost. This year, the daughter came with me. She wasn't too sure about staying in a haunted inn, so we stayed across the street -- where it was safe. After all, everybody knows ghosts would never cross the street. They would just stay in their own little inn.

But enough about ghosts. The conference was a full day of classes on harvesting rain water (we have more than our share of water issues on the farm!), extending the growing season with floating row covers, and raising free-range chickens for the tastiest eggs.

It made me antsy. I'm itching to get out in the garden and start planting. The four feet of snow sitting on the garden rows is holding me back, but I sure am ready.

We also stopped at a nice local yarn store in Powell, Ohio called A Tangled Tale. (http://www.atangledtale.com/) Farmer Gal Marilyn has been looking for a certain shade of Misti Alpaca handpainted chunky yarn for several months and I knew A Tangled Tale carried it.

I just couldn't remember the exact color. I "sorta" remembered, but just to be sure, I bought one in each of the two colors

that I thought it could be.

You know, I just didn't want to be wrong. It's not that I wanted a skein of it myself. Put that silly little thought right out of your head. Plus, A Tangled Tale carries these really cool buttons called Tagua Nut buttons. They are actually nuts that are sliced and dyed and look like ivory. They look great on scarves and shawls and they come in a variety of unusual colors.

The daughter picked out this sock yarn for herself.

Does anyone else find it ironic that the girl who didn't want to stay in a haunted inn is picking out Harry Potter sock yarn?

Knitting/Rug Hooking/Spinning Room Coming Along

2010-02-09T08:58:00.012-05:00

Think April people, think April.

No, not because the snow should be gone by then and we'll be in the middle of Spring.

With beautiful Winter days like yesterday, I'm not wishing Winter away just yet. I mean, would you want to wish away all the fun Moose is having cavorting in the snow? This is one Winter-loving dog! Let him enjoy it for another month or two -- before mud season arrives.

No, I want you to think April because that's when the knitting/rug hooking/spinning classes and get togethers will start!

We're in the middle of planning events and classes right now for a late April studio opening.

We've found the perfect project table at a local resale shop. This baby has four additional leaves we can add so we'll have plenty of room to spread out. Plus, the other studio room will have a large table in it as well. Fiber lovers travel in packs and we know we'll need the room to accommodate you all.

So think April people. And, if you have any specific fiber-related classes you'd like to see at Brighton Wool Gatherings, leave me a comment. We are open to any and all suggestions.

Barn Chores in the Snow

2010-02-06T16:27:00.008-05:00

Farmer Gal had issues today. Not issues in a bad, pull-your-hair-out-kind-of way. But issues in a "How the heck do I get this wheelbarrow through the 5' drifts to clean out the pens" kind-of way. But don't worry. Farmer Gal is one tough cookie. Neither rain, nor sleet nor snow would stop her from her chores.

Especially when she knew had this waiting for her in the barn:

This fierce livestock guardian dog is young Dewey -- looking like she's either playing a mean game of hide-and-seek or just plain old hiding. Actually, I think Farmer Gal woke her up from her morning nap.

She had been very hard at work guarding the alpacas. She's still learning the ropes but she appears to be good at her job.

I mean, if you were an intruding coyote or dog, wouldn't you run from something this vicious looking. I personally want to stop and give this puppy a Milk Bone and a hug, but then again I'm not a marauding intruder. I know Dewey will grow into a fine guardian dog, but for now, she's a very hugable six-month old ball of fluff.

Busy As A Bee

2010-02-04T07:49:00.008-05:00

I have all the symptoms of a major malady: Looking longingly at the garden and "seeing" the soil, even though it's covered with a layer of snow; ordering massive quantities of seed; and checking for new growth on the apple trees. These are all sure signs of Spring Fever . . . and I've got it bad!

It's a good thing today is a sunny day. I can wander the garden rows and let my imagination jump ahead a month or two when green shoots will actually appear from this snow-covered soil.

But yesterday, during the height of my "illness," I self-medicated by scouring three of my favorite seed catalogs: http://www.highmowingseeds.com/, http://www.cooksgarden.com/, and http://www.abundantlifeseeds.com/.

I sat down with graph paper and colored pencils and plotted out the growing schedule for: Garden: 2010. Nothing cures Spring Fever better than garden planning and a coloring craft combined!

Rhubarb and asparagus were ordered -- twelve rhubarb plants and 100 asparagus crowns, but I'm rethinking the asparagus numbers. I think they are too low. Today, I'm double checking the bed in which they will live to see if I have room for more. You can NEVER have too much asparagus. That's like saying you can have too many tomatoes. It just can't happen.

After asparagus and rhubarb planning, it was time to see what seeds I already bought and chart their space. New for me this year, a blue colored squash. Who knew!

And last but not least, in the evening, it was off to Beekeeping School. They hit the nail on the head with the title of this book.

That's me all right. A beekeeping novice. The husband is actually the beekeeper on the farm, but I went along to class because bees fascinate me. I don't like the taste of honey, but I love the whole process of making it. (The same holds true for maple syrup. Hate the taste, love the idea.) I mean, who wouldn't like the idea of tens of thousands of bees, working together all season long pollinating the garden, just to make honey for their next generation to survive. And we get to eat the excess stores of honey. What a concept!

Our two new colonies of bees arrive in mid-April. (How would you like to be the postal worker that day!) With any luck, and a good growing season, we should have some excess honey for sale by fall. But I can't think about fall today. I have Spring Fever.

Non-Skiing, Knitting and a Hooked Rug Give-Away

2010-02-01T08:32:00.012-05:00

Once a year, my family packs up for a weekend of skiing. We don't go far, usually just a few hours away to a rented condo in Pennsylvania. Skiing is my all-time favorite sport. Hiking and tennis are close seconds and thirds, but skiing is by far number one in my book. This past weekend was our trip.

And that's why these pictures are my idea of torture. Cruel and unusual punishment.

This was the view from the condo's living room window.

Why look, here come the husband and daughter, along with various assorted family members in the background, coming in -- skiing right up to our door. How was I able to take these pictures? Because for our one weekend of skiing, I had to get a bad, bad case of bronchitis! I could barely walk up the steps, let alone ski down a mountain, so no skiing for me. But don't worry, I found ways to amuse myself.

First, I turned our trusty, unsuspecting Border Collie into a turtle. After the fun ran out of that,

I sewed up the sides of the Briar Rose vest (http://www.briarrosefibers.net/) I've been knitting forever. Then I realized I sewed the top seams wrong, but I have no clue how to fix them, so I am waiting for Knitter Extraordinaire Stacey to "help" me fix them. By help, I mean she takes one look at my mistakes, rips them out, and starts me on the path to correctness. Everybody needs a knitting friend like Stacey.

Then I discovered this great hooked rug give-away on the blog http://www.rugsandpugs.blogspot.com/

Lauren has hooked a primitive heart mat which she is giving away, just in time for Valentine's Day. Check out her blog and leave a comment for a chance to win this hand made rug.

So, all-in-all, not a bad weekend, just no skiing. I guess I can live with that.

Three More Alpacas and a Livestock Guardian Dog

2010-01-25T13:43:00.006-05:00

That'll Do Farm was a busy place this past weekend. Three more alpacas arrived as well as Dewey, a Great Pyrenees puppy that will guard the herd.

Dewey is six months old and as calm as Border Collies are energetic.

This is pretty much her personality.

She'll stand and watch things, and then it's time to stand and watch some more. She has accepted her new herd of alpacas. They are still undecided about her, but are starting to be less wary.

In addition to Dewey, three more alpacas arrived on Saturday.

Meet Krispy Kreme, Quintessa and Charm. Three beautiful girls with beautiful fleece.

I can't say we had the best weather for their arrival. In fact, it rained so much this weekend that Farmer Gal has taken to calling That'll Do Farm "That'll Do Lake." I think it's appropriate.

But we're lucky. The "Alpaca Delivery Vehicle" was able to drive into the barn, thus avoiding the large amount of boot-sucking mud in the driveway. We've been asked a few times how alpacas travel. Sometimes it's in horse trailers, but more often, they travel by the trusty mini van!

Who knew! So the next time you're on the highway, take a peek into that mini van next to you. It might not be carrying the usual soccer mom and her human herd. It just may have an alpaca or two in it.

With the back seat out and a bedding-covered tarp down, the alpacas are right at home in the van. And the good news, they never ask "Are we there yet?"

But they do look a little funny getting out!

A Perfect Gift for the Border Collie Lover

2010-01-22T19:00:00.005-05:00

O.K., I may not be the brightest bulb about some things, but I thought I knew a thing or two about shopping.

But I was wrong. Wrong. Wrong. Wrong.

My friends Jeff and Megan gave me a belated Christmas gift today and I LOVE it.

It's sheep. And a Border Collie. On a tote bag. And it's way, way, WAY too cute. So of course I had to know where they found such a thing. They ordered it at http://www.cafepress.com/. Who knew such a place existed! (Well, apparently most humans on the face of the planet know about Cafe Press, but I did not. I'm hope they don't take away my shopping license for that one!)

I love this bag. I found out I can also have it made as a shirt . . . or a mug . . . or even a mouse pad for goodness sake! But it doesn't end there. I checked out Angora goats, alpacas and even sheep -- and all are available as some sort of trinket on the Cafe Press website. This madness must end -- I am on cuteness overload. Why, why, why did they have to introduce me to this website!

Rug Hooking & the Best Mouser Around

2010-01-21T13:14:00.006-05:00

I've been trying to be a good hooker these days, but finding the time to actually sit down to hook isn't always easy. This is how my latest rug has looked for awhile. I'm progressing slowly.

There are a few problems with it. The main problem is that the tree on the right is just plain goofy. No tree grows like that in nature.

So I decided to fix it -- known affectionately as "reverse hooking." Out came the funky colors at the top of the tree as well as the indented leaves, which made the tree look as if someone took a bite out of the left side of it.

I'm much happier with it. You can see I also reverse hooked the mortar on the chimney. It was the wrong color. Next, I'll address the Mickey Mouse ears on the sheep. No sheep in history has ears that big. However, I do happen to know a dog with ENORMOUS ears

This is little Annie. If I didn't know it was impossible, I'd bet big bucks that she is part fox. She walks like one, and more importantly, she hunts like one. We don't need a cat on the farm because she is in charge of all vermin.

This tiny little dog is The Executioner. Yesterday, after surveying her field, she heard the tell-tale sound of a mouse, or a vole, or a mole -- it doesn't matter, she's on it.

Head first, dig 'til you hit ground.

Put your whole body into it.

Don't stop until victory is yours. I am posting this as fair warning to all rodents, including squirrels and chipmunks, in the vicinity of That'll Do Farm. Annie is on the job. And she's good.

Welcome Home Alpacas!

2010-01-16T18:29:00.010-05:00

Ladies and gentlemen, may I present to you (from left to right) Star, Molly, Charlie's Angel, Funny Face, and last but not least, the young Steeler.

Their arrival at That'll Do Farm today was exciting. I couldn't sleep at all last night -- like a kid on Christmas Eve.

Turns out they were just as curious about us as we were about them, but they didn't know today was moving day, so I bet they slept just fine last night!

The Mikes lead them into the barn.

We toasted their arrival.

We wore party hats.

Then there were those first awkward moments where we all stood around in our own herd, eyeing the other herd.

Then we settled in and began to just enjoy their company.

What beautiful, curious-looking animals.

There are two distinct breeds of alpacas. Four of the alpacas that came today are Suri Alpacas. Suri Alpaca fleece has soft, lustrous, penciled fiber that hangs down, looking like dreadlocks. Very funny looking, but dog-gone cute. (The three on the left, above, are Suris.)

One of the alpacas that came today, Charlie's Angel, is a Huacaya (wah-KI-yah) Alpaca. (That's her, above, second from the right.) The fleece on Huacayas is soft and puffy, with a lot of crimp. The rest of the alpacas arriving at That'll Do Farm over the next few months are all Huacayas.

The alpacas that arrived today had been boarding at Our Legacy Acres Alpacas in Medina, Ohio, under the excellent care of Chuck and Jill Wagner. You can check out their herd at OurLegacyAcres.openherd.com. They are two of the most helpful alpaca people you're ever going to meet and we thank them for all their help with the herd that came home to That'll Do Farm today. Now the fun begins!

The Calm Before the Storm

2010-01-15T17:47:00.010-05:00

O.K. folks, it's the day we've been waiting for. The animals start arriving tomorrow!

The barn is ready for them, complete with a front door.

Four beautiful ladies and one handsome young man will call this little corner of the barn home tomorrow. They will find fresh, clean bedding for their lounging pleasure.

Their nutritious breakfast will be waiting for them.

They will be able to sip water from their heated water buckets.

And they can look at their future dinners, safely stowed in the loft above. I would have gone up there myself to get a better picture of this gorgeous hay, but I'm a chicken.

This ladder frightens me. It's straight up and down, and when you get to the top . . .

guess what . . .

No handles in cling to with a death grip! Going up isn't the problem. It's swinging my leg over the edge for that first step back down. Makes my spine go all spine-less!

Now in my youth, I would have scampered up and down there, no problem. In my teens and even my 20s -- wouldn't have given it a thought. In my 30s, I do think I'd have to think about it. These days, I think I need a Memory Foam extra thick mattress at the base before I climb up there!

But I am working on this fear. I'd better work on it real fast because I do believe the alpacas are going to want to eat every day and I don't believe they can climb ladders. Do you think the fire department would come out if I get myself up there and refuse to come down?

The Alpacas Arrive This Week!

2010-01-11T15:33:00.006-05:00

How long have we been waiting to have alpacas at That'll Do Farm?

Months? . . . Weeks? . . . How about years! Since 1997 to be exact.

This little four-year-old girl giving a few alpacas the evil eye is my daughter Meredith (aka "The Woman"). We were at a fall festival (hence the Halloween sweatshirt!) when we met alpacas for the first time. Now, this week, more than 12 years later, alpacas will be part of our every day lives. (I'm not sure if the evil eye will still be part of our lives, but my guess is it will!)

Nine alpacas will call the farm home starting Saturday. The rest arrive in the Spring. Dewey, the Great Pyrenees puppy, will also come home this weekend.

The last of the fencing went up. We call it the Demilitarized Zone, or DMZ.

The DMZ is the area that separates the girls from the boys -- boys on the left, girls on the right, empty space in the middle. The alpacas can look at each other over the fencing, but they can't touch. Think of the DMZ as an alpaca chaperon.

Hay and straw arrive Wednesday. Everything else is in place. Looks like we're just about ready for the animals! Can't wait.

Knitting on a Winter Day

2010-01-04T12:23:00.013-05:00

Lake Erie is looking a little, ahh . . . bleak . . . today.

Gone are the blue waters of Summer. Gone is the sandy beach. Only ice and snow as far as I can see. Did I really sit on that pier just a few short months ago and watch our town's fireworks on the banks above. Sure doesn't seem possible.

But today's weather makes it a good day to knit. I bought this beautiful yarn a month or so ago and had no idea what to do with it.

Enter my knight in shining armor -- the miracle that is known as Ravelry.

I love http://www.ravelry.com/ with all my heart. It makes my whim purchases, like this Ella Rae Lace Merino yarn, seem downright smart. If you are a knitter, you MUST join Ravelry. Once you're a member (membership is free, by the way) you can plug in the name of the yarn your own and, voila, hundreds of suggestions and patterns pop up. Many of the patterns are free downloads.

Or you can do it in reverse. You can find patterns you like and yarn suggestions will pop up. Plus, knitters who've actually used the yarn and pattern you're thinking of using will tell you what they think of them, or if you need to make any adjustments as you knit.

I think of my pre-Ravelry days as the dark ages.

My whim purchase yarn is turning into this:

This is a free pattern on Ravelry called Lacy Baktus by Terhi Montonen. It's really easy and I think it's coming along beautifully. Unfortunately, it should have been a Christmas present (as in Christmas 2009), but apparently I don't knit very fast. I plan to finish it in the next day or two and be really proud of myself for having a completed project in January for Christmas 2010.

That just might be a record for me.

A Day at the Auction

2010-01-02T18:10:00.007-05:00

It's 15 degrees out today. Perfectly sane people know that when the high will top out at 15 degrees, you simply stay home by the fire and knit . . . or rug hook . . . or bake a cake. Let me know if you find any of those perfectly sane people because the only people I know are the ones that say, "Let's go to this farm auction." So off we went.

The auction was at an Amish farm about 2 hours south of us.

Even though it was a bit cold, it truly was a beautiful day.

We picked up a few hives for beekeeping.

We really wanted to buy this but ran into two problems. One, we wouldn't have been able to get it in the truck for the drive home and two (an even bigger problem), somebody bid more than we wanted to spend. I guess it wasn't meant to be.

But don't feel bad for us. Farmer Gal and her husband bought this feeder.

"The Mikes" enjoyed loading it into the truck -- honest.

They also picked up some wooden gates and a really cool large wooden bin that's going to look great piled high with pumpkins this fall when the market garden is in full swing.

The drive home may have looked like something out of "The Beverly Hillbillies"

but we were proud of our purchases.

Cold, but proud.

If it Isn't Barn Work, it's Fence Work

2009-12-31T17:46:00.008-05:00

2009 is going down in the books as the year of the barn. From August through December, we obsessed about barns: we talked about the new barn, started tearing down the old barn, designed and had the new barn built and are finally nearing the end of all things barn construction.

But never fear, we still have the inside of the barn to fuss over: where to set the gates, how many stalls should there be, which alpacas go where, and will the sheep and goats be happy in their spot. You get the idea. You'd think we were consumed with all things barn.

But that is not the case. We are also consumed with all things fencing. We've torn down old fencing, constructed and stained new split rail fences (and re-stained some of it when the unexpected rain washed our beautiful stain away!), attached no-climb fence to the split rail and are now, finally, we are at the point where we are dividing pastures with -- what else -- more fencing.

On this fairly warm last day of the year, College Boy and College Friend helped Farmer Gal's Mike pound in MILLIONS of posts to divide the pastures.

They took advantage of the weather and un-frozen ground to pound in the posts. It's going to get cold again tomorrow, which would make post-pounding much, much harder.

So we've saved fence stretching for the really cold days next week. Nothing says fun like pulling nice cold metal on a sub-20s day in a windy field.

Yes sir, 2010 promises to come in just like 2009 went out -- full of fence-and barn-obsessing. The funny thing is, it sounds like fun to me!

Wishing you all a Happy New Year.

Is the Never-Ending Barn Story Coming to an End?

2009-12-28T14:36:00.006-05:00

There is a light at the end of the tunnel! The barn is nearly done -- honest. Gutters went on today. The builders will be back tomorrow for doors, ladders and cupolas, but for the most part, the barn is done. Let the celebration begin.

Oh wait, no time to celebrate. Tomorrow, Farmer Gal and I are thinking chickens. It's time to get them ordered and started if we hope to have laying hens by summer. And Wednesday is interior barn construction day. We'll set the stalls and get ready for the early January arrival of the alpacas.

But today was a day to enjoy the beauty of the farm in Winter.

Lots of snow falling, not too cold, not a lot of wind. It is pretty much a perfect Winter day.

College Boy was trying out his new cross country skis. That's o.k., let him ski. He doesn't know Farmer Gal and I have a lot of fence construction planned for him on Wednesday!

Merry Christmas to All

2009-12-24T18:15:00.004-05:00

Surprise! Christmas is here again. It happens every year, right around this time. You think I'd know it was coming and be prepared. Yet again, I am surprised it got here so quickly. Am I prepared? No. But this year, I've taken a new laid-back approach -- which is a stretch for me.

I'm taking my cue from this guy:

Mr. Moose. Moose is a fairly intense border collie with the breed's typical inability to relax. But he's not stressed out about Christmas. He's not even stressed out about the fact he's on the bed and shouldn't be. Nope, he's sacked out on Christmas Eve, taking a siesta, not a care in the world. Smart dog.

So this year, I went the Moose route. I relaxed a little. I took a Christmas Eve walk in the park.
I enjoyed this beautiful, cold December day.

I came back refreshed and not worried about all the things I didn't get done for the holiday. The presents are not perfectly wrapped. All the decorations did not get put up.
And these are the only cookies that got made this year. Not dozens and dozens, just these.

Yet Christmas will still be here tomorrow. It will be as wonderful as all the others. And years from now, when we look back, we'll only remember the fun things, not the missed decorations and lack of cookies.

Moose is a very smart dog. I'm going to follow his advice more often!

Wishing you a peaceful and stress-free Christmas.

Nearing the End of Barn Building & a New Puppy!

2009-12-22T19:11:00.003-05:00

You know the old saying, "A watched pot never boils." Well the same holds true for a barn. It hasn't been that long, really, since building began on the new barn. But watching the progress every day sure makes it feel like it will never get done.

But good news! The doors are going on.

The inside is almost complete.

And the front & back are nearly complete. Folks, it looks like we might get us a barn by Christmas after all!

Which is good news because Farmer Gal went out and got herself a new puppy.

This is Dewey. Miss Dewey is a Great Pyrenees. I personally think she's a Great Ball of Fluff, but they don't seem to have an AKC registration for that. This picture was taken in July, when Dewey was a mere baby. Our young lady is now a whopping 70 lbs. She is living with her mother and a dozen or so alpacas, learning the whole guardian animal business. She will move to the farm next month when some of the alpacas move in.

Everyone is very excited about her arrival. Well, almost everyone.

Moose isn't sure. He'll get back to us with his opinion of her.

A Big Work Day at That'll Do Farm

2009-12-18T08:42:00.003-05:00

Yesterday was a big building day at the farm

Many, many, many people like to work when the sun is shining, it's warm out and the days are long. Some would say those are the smart people.

Those people are obviously not my peeps. No, by golly, we work when it's 20 degrees, the wind is blowing and the day ends by 5 p.m. so you have to cram a lot of work into a short amount of time.

Some would say we are crazy and I would tend to agree with them. But I guess when you are trying to get a barn done so animals can move in by January, you go a little crazy.

Yesterday, in the front pasture, they put down drain pipe from the barn to the ditch, then back filled it and covered it over. The pasture will have to be reseeded in the spring. With our wonderful clay soil, these pastures retain a lot of water (I feel their pain!) and are very slow to drain. These drain pipes will save much aggravation down the road when the animals come. We'll have less mud resulting in somewhat cleaner fleeces.

The barn builders were also at the farm, putting up the sides.

It's beginning to look like a real barn! The front and back go up next, then the doors and all the "do-dads" (a very technical term, don't you think. You can see why the barn builders just love me!).

They are also digging the trenches to bury the electrical and water lines. Now we wait for the inspector to give us his official o.k. Please, please, please let him be a nice inspector!

Meanwhile, Farmer Gal oversaw the arrival of metal fencing we'll use in the barn to separate alpaca stalls.

As soon as the barn is complete, these will move in and we'll have fun arranging them. It will be like playing with life-size legos.

The Barn is Crawling Along

2009-12-15T08:45:00.003-05:00

Late Fall, early Winter = slow going in the building department.

The barn is progressing, but slowly. Snow, rain, wind and well below zero wind chill all combined to make what we thought was going to be a three-week project turn into the barn-that-never-ends project. We're hoping for sides on the barn today. Today it's only slightly rainy and in the 30s -- not bad barn-building weather. Keep your fingers crossed!

Much of the extra soil (I use that term loosely. In this part of Ohio, soil really means clay.) is being piled up into small hills for the goats to climb on. Sometimes I climb on it. When you're only 5'2", you use any opportunity to get your head above others!

Last week's high winds blew down the outhouse-looking shed. We'll have to rethink it's location out in the wide open or it's not going to make it.

The rugs have arrived for the knitting/rug hooking studio. More furniture will move in this week. There is still much to do, but we are progressing.

Yarn Shopping in North Carolina

2009-12-09T06:46:00.008-05:00

On our recent trip to Florida/North Carolina, I did what every fiber-loving lunatic in the world would do. I googled all the local yarn stores in the places we were staying and then mapped out a detailed yarn shopping strategy. I've done this for every business trip and/or vacation I've taken in the past 10 years.

My family learned to adapt to this quirk, this oddity. Oh sure, over the years, the kids may have moaned and groaned while waiting in the car as I ran into a store "just to look" for "a quick minute," but they always brought along books or video games to amuse themselves. They accepted the fact that their mom just might be a nut job that will do a full fledged u-turn in the middle of traffic if an interesting looking yarn store is spotted.

This past week, I may have found my all-time favorite local yarn store. It's called Spin a Yarn in West Jefferson, N.C.(http://www.foxfireholler.com/).

The woman I talked with (wish I would have gotten her name. I believe she was the owner, but I can't be sure.) was the definition of customer service. Warm, genuinely caring about me as a customer, helpful, knowledgeable. You know how sometimes you walk into a store and it feels like you're bothering the workers. This shop was 100 percent the opposite.

The entire town of West Jefferson was charming, like you stepped back into the 50's or 60's.

Here's "Main Street."

In addition to my new favorite knitting store, the town has a great outdoor apparel store and a wonderful cheese shop selling locally made cheese (I highly recommend the extra sharp cheddar. Delicious!) -- all places that remind you it's not necessary to shop at the big box stores. Without fail, the sales people were helpful and friendly and took the time to talk with us -- what a nice change!

Spin a Yarn had beautiful hand spun yarn, locally produced. All of their wool was exceptional. In fact, nothing was ordinary. Most of the yarn was made in the area.

However, some unusual wool came from New Zealand -- I do believe she said it was a merino/possum blend. I don't know what you think, but around these parts, that's unusual!

North Carolina is not exactly around the corner from my home in Northern Ohio, but the next time I'm back in those beautiful mountains, I'm bringing a large truck to carry home some of this store's yarn!

A Short Vacation and Barn: Day Whatever?

2009-12-08T13:19:00.006-05:00

The week after Thanksgiving has been unusually busy for me. No, not in the shop, wrap, cook kind-of-way, but in the lets-pile-in-the-car-and-head-for-Florida kind-of-way. The husband and I drove College Boy back to school in North Carolina the Sunday after Thanksgiving and then headed down to Orlando to see some friends.

This is Tim and Isobel. She, my friends, is a knitter. (I don't believe he is. I didn't ask. He and the husband were too busy talking guy stuff, you know, like football.) One of the best thing about visiting fellow knitters is they take you to their local yarn store. Isobel and I went to The Black Sheep Shop in Orlando (www.theblacksheepshop.com). Not a lot of yarn (I think it's mostly a needlepoint shop), but nice stuff none the less. I bought this needle felting kit. (www.lornaswool.com)

Soon I will have an entire flock of needle felted chickens -- and who doesn't need that! I will confess to buying the kit because I'm a sucker for cute packaging. After all, a chicken felting kit in an egg carton -- that's just too darn cute to pass up. I'll let you know how the chickens come out.

After Orlando, it was off to not-so-sunny Naples, way down south on the gulf coast.

My step mom (Farmer Gal Marilyn's mom) lives in Naples. Naples, I'm told, has the best weather in Florida. I personally can not vouch for that. Almost every time I go, it rains. Or a small hurricane comes ashore. But really, how can I complain when I was here

in early December, in shorts and a t-shirt, while Farmer Gal was back home in Ohio overseeing the barn raising. In the cold. And the snow.

Sun or no sun, I got the better end of this deal!

The barn roof is complete. The walls will go up tomorrow or the next day. Snow is coming this weekend. Let's see who wins this race: the barn builders or the weather. For their sake, I really want to put my money on the builders. I know I wouldn't want to be out there, hammering away, on a 20 degree day. I'd rather be inside, needle felting a chicken.

Barns, Chicken Coops & Alpacas: A Full Day

2009-11-27T20:29:00.009-05:00

Today was Black Friday -- a day that either strikes joy or terror in your heart. To me, there could be nothing worse than getting up at three a.m. to be first through the doors of the local chain/discount/big box/electronics store. I think I'd rather pull my eyelashes out one by one than shop today. No, today was a day to work outside in the slush/snow/mud/cold/wind. Go ahead, call me crazy, but I really do prefer that to Black Friday shopping -- which , by the way, should be labeled a full-contact sport!

Today we stared building the chicken coop. But in order to build the chicken coop, we had to start tearing down the old barn. We're using the old barn siding for the coop. The old barn looks fairly good from this angle, but looks can be very deceiving.

This barn actually moves when you push on it. And it leans a bit to the left. Once the siding came off, the lean was much more obvious.

You really don't want to spend any time inside this barn. Luckily, two College Boys were home for the weekend and they got to spend the day pulling the siding off.

The Mikes got the job of attaching the siding to the run in shed, which they are turning into the chicken coop. They had power tools. They were happy.

Farmer Gal and I took a side trip to the farm where some of her alpacas are currently living while waiting for the barn to be finished.

It was an outright stampede when we arrived at the farm, with this young lady leading the charge. The next thing I knew, the camera had alpaca slobber all over it from an up-close-and-personal greeting! You gotta love a people-loving alpaca.

We are looking forward to early January when many of the alpacas will move to That'll Do Farm. Several of the girls are pregnant so we anticipate about six births this spring. The farm is going to be a very busy place! But it'll be a good kind of busy. Not the day-after-Thanksgiving-at-the-mall kind of busy.

Barn: Day 3

2009-11-25T09:35:00.003-05:00

It's really beginning to look like a barn.

Or an ark. But I'm hoping it's a barn.

The weather, for the most part, has been cooperating.

The outside should be done in another week or so. Then inside barn work begins.

Several of the alpacas will move in by the beginning of January. The rest will move to the farm by mid-Spring, along with sheep and goats. It promises to be a very busy Winter and Spring at That'll Do Farm!

Knitting and Ohio State Football

2009-11-23T10:35:00.009-05:00

It was a football weekend here in Northern Ohio.

And what goes better with football than knitting. (I know the real answer is chili and beer -- but that's another story. This is a knitting blog after all!)

This weekend, my beloved Ohio State Buckeyes played the only game that ever really matters. They played their arch rival -- the dreaded Michigan Wolverines.

Now I know several perfectly lovely Michigan graduates. There's even one that comes to my home regularly for knitting night. I don't hold anything against these poor, misguided souls for their unfortunate choice of colleges. Yes, it's true that perhaps, on occasion, I've tried to (gently) point out the error of their ways. I was, after all, indoctrinated into the Buckeye way of life through four years of college. It's not like I'm one of those crazy, over-the-top, Buckeye fans. I only have one tiny little flag flying in front of the house on game day. That's it . . . and maybe I have an OSU sweatshirt on, but that's really it. I swear.

If I were really one of those crazy-over-the-top Buckeye fans, I would have spent the weekend knitting a scarf in scarlet and grey.

But no, I am a rational person who chose to knit in the neutral color of "natural." I thought this super easy scarf was going to be a gift for a niece, but my daughter had other plans. She took one look at it as it was progressing on the needles and promptly showed me this:

This is a hat she recently purchased. She's sure the scarf goes really well with the hat and she MUST have it; (Insert whinning voice of teenage girl here!: "oh please, please, please mom, I really loooove that scarf -- can I have it? It goes perfectly with my hat. I HAVE to have that scarf or I'll just die. Honest!")

Well, you can blame it on the Buckeyes. I was in a great mood after their victory over that team from up north, so I gave in. The daughter is now the proud owner of one Eco Wool scarf (Cascade Yarns).

This scarf knits up so quickly. One skein is more than enough. Cast on an odd number of stitches on large needles. I cast on 15 on size 15 needles. Then you just slip the first stitch on every row and p1, k1 for the remaining stitches. Repeat until you think it's long enough. I like the way the slipped stitch gives the side edges a finished look.

The scarf took one Buckeye game and one Browns game to complete (we won't mention the Browns again. It was very, very bad. And ugly.). It looks like Ohio State will play in the Rose Bowl on New Years Day. I'd better get another project ready -- maybe mittens. One guess who is going to desperately "need" them.

Yarn: Day 1 -- Barn: Day 2

2009-11-20T12:09:00.005-05:00

I was a bad human today. I went yarn shopping when I had no business going yarn shopping. I have more than enough yarn to keep me busy for a year or two. I have projects on needles that are begging me to finnish them. But did I listen. Nope. I went yarn shopping.

I came home with this. Isn't she a beauty.

I have no idea what I'm going to do with her, but she spoke to me and I listened. This is one skein of ella rae Lace Merino (color number 116 if we are being exact). It is 460 yards of heaven. Four hundred and sixty yards of 100% extra fine Merino, made in Italy. Don't tell me she wouldn't have called you too! Now to find the perfect project to go with it.

I don't think I'll be done with my project as quickly as the barn builders will be with theirs.

This is Day 2 of barn building:

The old barn is in the left corner of this picture. It's coming down soon and will be recycled into a chicken coop.

I only hope the Mikes, Farmer Gal, College Boy and I can build the chicken coop as quickly as the professional builders are building the barn. If you are a betting person, don't put any money on us. I don't think it's going to be pretty.

The Barn: Day 1

2009-11-19T14:53:00.003-05:00

Today, after many, many, many days of beautiful non-Ohio-in-November days, the weather decided to remember it's actually mid-November. It turned colder -- still not cold, but colder. And it started to rain. I think it's because the actual building of the new barn started this morning.

There was a lot of this going on at first. You must look and measure before digging. I'd be very good at the looking part. Don't put me down for measuring. That's math. I don't like math.

But after the looking and measuring was complete, this thing could do it's job, which was to dig down really deep -- lots of times.

So, with all this building going on, we are thinking only positive weather thoughts. The barn guys think it'll take them about three weeks to complete the barn. We need sunny skies and 50 degree days -- start praying everyone, start praying.

More Building at That'll Do Farm

2009-11-16T10:23:00.006-05:00

We seem to be building a lot of things at the farm lately. And when I say "we" I want you to know I am using the term "we" loosely. Very loosely.

Guys with big trucks come in and move dirt around to build the barn. Guys with fence stretching tools come in to build and stretch fence.

I thought it was high time for me to become involved in a building project of some magnitude. So I took on a huge endeavor, an enormous project . . .

a garden hutch -- or shed as I think it should be rightly called. A place to store tools out in the garden. A useful "outbuilding." I'm sure other builders of large outdoor structures will soon stop by to see what I have created out of cedar and a few pieces of hardware. There will be applause and ohhs and ahhs all around as they pay tribute to my ability to assemble a kit . . .

A really easy kit.

A kit with detailed, dummy-proof, step-by-step instructions (In both English and Spanish, for my convenience.)

Isn't she a beauty. Look at the sheer size of this shed. Why three or four shovels will easily be able to call it home.

Yes, there are some that say this beautiful tribute to my building skills looks more like a one-seater outhouse than a shed, but I say they are just jealous. I am slightly afraid, however, that I will come out to the garden one day and see a half moon painted on this architectural gem by jokesters here at the farm. But that is the chance we great artists and builders take for creating such beauty for the public.

Rug Hooking vs. Leaves -- Which Will Win??

2009-11-11T09:32:00.010-05:00

This is what I want to do today. I want to work on this rug. I can hear it calling me, and I must say, it's not calling out nice things: "Please fix the goofy tree on the right today. No tree grows like that in nature." I also hear: "The grass is almost done you lazy hooker. Why don't you just finish it" This rug even had the audacity to call out: "Really, how long does it take to finish hooking the grass lady. Let's get cracking!" This rug has some attitude.

It knows I've been a bad hooker lately. I've tried to work on this rug 10 minutes every day. I even took a sacred pledge to do so with the 10-Minute Challenge. (http://www.rughookingdaily.ning.com/) But alas, even a sacred pledge has to take a back seat to this:

This is my back yard -- and it's not a pretty sight. This is not the farm where leaves can blow themselves away. This is a problem. Leaves. Millions of them. I really don't think they are going to get themselves to the curb for pick up. I think they are waiting for me to do something about them. And today is the day.

So no matter what my rug is calling out, I must work on the yard today. Hang tight rug-with-attitude, I'm coming -- just as soon as these leaves quit talking to me!

Work on the Knitting/Hooking/Spinning Area Begins

2009-11-05T16:12:00.007-05:00

If you are a visionary, I want to show you a picture of the new barn:
There she is and isn't she a beauty. I told you you had to be a visionary to see it. What you are really looking at is the soon-to-be pad for the new 36'x60' foot barn, with two 12' overhangs, one facing west and one facing east. Stunning, just stunning. By the end of November, it should be an honest-to-goodness barn, then you'll really be able to see it.

While we're anxiously waiting for the barn to be finished, we're starting to move furniture into the newly-painted, sanded-beyond-all-reason studio

where we'll soon hold classes and retreats and offer unique yarn and accessories for sale. (Think January for a Grand Opening!)

Farmer Gal and I had to call in help for the furniture moving. We enlisted the help of the big guns. The muscle. "The Mikes." Both Farmer Gal and I are married to guys named Mike (O.K., one is a Michael and one is a Mike, which avoids some confusion, but when my son comes home from college -- another Mike -- it's all over. You think we could have come up with another name!)

The first piece to move in was an antique cherry cupboard which will hold an abundance of yarn -- but The Mikes had to first get it out of the truck,

up the stairs,

across the front porch,

through the front door,

across the newly-sanded-and-stained-beyond-all-reason floor,

lifted and placed against the wall,

until finally, this 8,000 pound cupboard could land in its forever home.

Whew, I'm exhaused from all that picture taking and watching of The Mikes. And that's only the first piece! I have to say, The Mikes did an excellent job. No swearing, no arguing, no smashing of fingers. I was very impressed. I have high hopes for the rest of the move.

Barns and Driveways and Heavy Equipment . . . Oh My!

2009-11-03T18:52:00.005-05:00

When our son, College Boy, was little, he loved everything about heavy equipment. I'm not talking a mild interest in a few construction vehicles, I'm talking an all-out passion, an obsession, an all-consuming love of 'dozers, front-end loaders and back hoes. The Tonka truck people and I were on a first-name basis.

Yup, I imagine College Boy would be green with envy if he were at the farm this afternoon. It's a good thing he's hundreds of miles away at school 'cause look what showed up to work on the driveway and barn pad!:

This came along too:

That's right, an entire day filled with heavy equipment. Once these guys are done with driveway building and foundation work, the barn can be built. Winter in Northern Ohio can get a bit "brisk," so we're hoping the barn will be done by the end of November -- before real winter gets here and we're under a foot of snow.

Soon, we'll move inside to work on the knitting and rug hooking studio. But until it gets really nasty and cold here, we are digging in the dirt. We just can't tell College Boy!

Good Bye Smith & Hawken Hello Brighton Wool Gatherings at That'll Do Farm

2009-10-28T19:10:00.023-04:00

It's official. And it's sad. The Smith & Hawken store where I've been working the past three years is shutting it's doors on November 8th.

For those of you unfamiliar with Smith & Hawken, it was a unique garden store, specializing in great tools and accessories for the garden. The furniture was beautiful.

The tools sturdy and balanced. All of it was top quality . . . and none of it was cheap.

But I loved it. And now, after 30 years in the garden, all 56 Smith & Hawken stores are closing across the country. I will miss the job, my co-workers (who have become my away-from-home family) and most of my customers. O.K., those few super-nasty, fussy, loud and demanding customers, I won't miss them. But the other 99 percent I will.

Enough of the sad news, let's move on to the really, really good news because when one door closes, another opens!

Welcome:

Since May, I've been writing here about my adventures with knitting, rug hooking, fiber animals, gardening and life while planning weekend get-aways for knitters and hookers. (For all you non-hookers, that is what rug hookers call themselves: hookers. Now get your mind out of the gutter and get it back on fiber, where it belongs!) In July, when Smith & Hawken announced it's up-coming closing, I toyed with the idea of turning my event planning business into a full-time operation but lacked the space. Enter Farmer Gal Marilyn.

That's Farmer Gal with Grady, the most energetic border collie I know. Farmer Gal's mother married my father 30+ years ago and we've been buds ever since. In August, Farmer Gal and her husband purchased a 17-acre farm in Grafton, Ohio to raise their alpaca. Farmer Gal is a fellow fiber lover and we decided to join forces and create Brighton Wool Gatherings at That'll Do Farm.

Brighton Wool Gatherings at That'll Do Farm will be home to all things fiber. We will plan knitting and rug hooking retreats and offer lessons in spinning, knitting, rug hooking and natural dyeing. The farm will also be home to future fiber festivals, sheep shearing and herding demonstrations and alpaca tours.

The main focus of the farm will be raising the finest fiber producing animals in Ohio, offering you the best locally produced fiber you can buy. We are raising a hand spinners flock of alpaca, sheep and Angora goats.

That'll Do Farm will also be home to free range heritage and rare breed chickens. This coming summer, you'll be able to purchase eggs in a variety of beautiful, natural colors from Buckeye, Ameraucana, Buttercup and Welsummer chickens, as well as produce from the budding organic garden. (The garlic is in! Everything else will have to wait for spring.) My husband will keep bees and a variety of honey will soon be offered. A few years down the road, look for rhubarb, asparagus and blueberries produced on the farm, too.

Starting in January, we will offer knitting, rug hooking and spinning classes. Please join us on this new, exciting adventure. Farmer Gal and I are both so excited about this farm that our heads are swimming with all kinds of "what do I do next" ideas and plans. Sometimes, the only thing that calms me down is a nice hug from Krispy Kreme, the friendliest alpaca you're ever going to meet.

We're thinking of making her the official greeter at That'll Do Farm. She won't give out smiley face stickers like they do at Walmart, but I still think she'll make a great greeter!

Soccer Knitting. Fencing. Tilling.

2009-10-24T07:09:00.007-04:00

Soccer Knitting. Fencing. Tilling. Lately, my life is filled with these three things.

What, you may ask, is soccer knitting? If you have a child that plays any spot A LOT, you will know what soccer knitting is. This is the knitting that you do while waiting for your child to A) finish practice B) quit talking to their friends after the game and come to the car or C) finish the team meeting. Sometimes, however, you have to go to "The Tournament". Then you get to knit between games, in the hotel or on the car ride to the tournament, because they are never close by.

This is this week's soccer knitting -- and it may look familiar to you. This is my second time through this soon-to-be-wonderful vest from Briar Rose (http://www.briarrosefibers.net/) The first time through, I didn't check my gauge and the vest would have fit me in the sixth grade -- and it's been a long, long time since I've seen the sixth grade! This time around, I took the time to make a gauge and this one is going to fit! So, bring on the soccer games and tournaments. After all, I have a vest to finish.

After soccer knitting, fencing consumes my life. Lots and lots of fencing. The alpaca, sheep and goats will move in by late winter and the fencing has to be ready for them. Farmer Gal Marilyn is really the fencing queen, staining most of this spit rail fence by herself. If you squint and look off in the far corner, you can see the part I stained. A tiny, tiny bit. But I spend my days thinking about fencing. Nights spent dreaming about it. Will it all be stained by winter? Will all the wire be attached and ready for spring? What kind of fencing will I need around the garden to keep the rabbits out? Are there any weak spots for coyote to enter? As you can tell, I am obsessed.

Grady, however, is quite relaxed about the whole thing. This is the lesson I need to learn!

Tilling comes next. Wonderful neighbor Charlie was over the other day with his tractor and asked if we needed any fields tilled. Yes, yes, a thousand times yes! This is a section that was used by the previous owner to grow corn. Nothing has grown here lately. I'd been looking at this area as a spot to grow asparagus and rhubarb. But so far, that's all I'd done. Just look at it. Charlie got the ball rolling when he tilled it up. Now I can spend the winter top dressing it will compost and manure so it will be ready for spring planting. You've got to love a guy who steps in and with one sweep of a tractor gets the ball rolling.

And finally, this little area of the farm is beginning to creep into my thoughts on a daily basis. This stand of trees, with a beautiful grassy path down the middle, would make a wonderful area for fiber fairs. I see tents, vendors, entertainment. My brain is about to explode with ideas. I think I need more hours in the day -- like 10 of them!