NOPE hat take 2, Stitch & Bitch spinning

I was excited to try my hand at both fair isle and intarsia with this pattern for a hat that says NOPE. I followed the pattern exactly, and this was the result:

Okay, my head is small, but seriously? The upper part before the brim comes all the way down to my eyebrows. And the brim, even folded in half, would cover half my head on its own. So I took out the bottom row of hearts, shortened the brim, and made a few other minor changes. Take 2 is much better.

Chase reminded me about the Stitch & Bitch at her store every Thursday evening. I used to go sometimes when I lived in Oakland, and I miss it. Yesterday I didn't have any evening clients so I decided to make the drive down. Rachel joined me at the store. Instead of working on my endless queue of knitting and crochet projects, I brought my neglected spinning wheel and continued with the pink/yellow/purple/silver merino and silk roving. I've always called it "My Little Pony roving" and multiple other people referred to it as "unicorn hair." It took about ten minutes to get back into the groove of spinning, and a few hours before I was back up to my previous speed. The time flew by. I finished filling up a second spindle. One more to go, and then I'll ply all three together.

I told Rachel not to let me buy anything unless I had a very good reason. Well, Chase had yarn spinners/lazy susans, which I've been coveting for months. I've been having major problems with my yarn twisting up as I knit when using center-pull balls. So I had to get one.

I also picked up another little project bag. It was too funny to resist.

Sustainably produced rambouillet roving

My friend Chase gave me a 4 oz ball of gray fine rambouillet roving from Lani's Lana as thanks for inviting her to chicken butchering day. She said that she remembered that I really like gray, which I found touching. It is locally produced in northern California and Nevada, by shepherds who practice regenerative agriculture. Perfect!

Chicken butchering day

Rachel & Eli and Chase & Andrew all came over to help dispatch and process most of the cockerels. We butchered the 5 standard males (Red Sex Links or Leghorns?) that had been freebies and 6 of the bantams (2 Silkies, 2 Golden Sebrights, and 2 Red Pyles). I'm keeping the Cuckoo Maran that was supposed to be a pullet, the beautiful black and red Old English Game, the Black Japanese, and one of the Golden Sebright cockerels. They are just so cute that I wanted to keep a few around. There is one more Silkie that I'm unsure about, but s/he has been spared for now.

Eli got the honorary first kill, then Rachel and I split up the rest. The bantams were so small that they slid right through the cone, so she chopped their heads off. There was a moment when I laid out a bantam for her, holding its head still in one hand and the body in the other, and she raised the cleaver, and I had the thought that she might miss and take my fingers off. She didn't, of course, but I had a panicked moment as the bird spurted blood all over me, and.... she cut off the rest of their heads by herself while I helped Chase and Andrew with plucking. I'm not sure if that counts as passing or failing the trust fall.

From set up to clean up, everything was done in 3 hours, and we had a good time. We all went out for lunch together afterwards.

I'm pretty sure that once the current pullets are old enough to lay and be let out of their coop (and therefore have access to the other girls' layer feed), I will use the second coop to raise broilers. We all desire a mechanical plucker, though.

The keeper bantams were roosting in the tree that overhangs the chicken area last night. Before we started butchering, we chased them down in the run and clipped their wings. This evening they were back in the tree. Damn it.

Chicken update: reinforced fencing, moving cockerels into run

My bestie Rachel came to visit and helped with many chores around the house, including finally reinforcing the two sides of the chicken run that had only 2"x4" panels. They now have hardware cloth at the bottom, extending outward to keep animals from digging in. With that done, I moved all the bantam cockerels out of the chick coop and into the run itself. The size difference between the bantams and standards is astounding.

One of the straight run "Black Japanese" chicks has turned out to be an Old English Game cockerel, probably a Black Breasted Red. He is gorgeous and he will be staying unless his temperament is an issue.

Actually all the bantam cockerels are so damn cute that I'm tempted to let them stay. However I also have 3 Golden Sebrights, 2 Red Pyle Games, 1 Black Japanese, and a still-unknown number of Silkies. I need to whittle down to a few favorites.

Definitely male Blue Silkie.

Chicken update: cockerels, molting

To ease up on the space inside the chicks' growing coop, I let the five Red Sex Link cockerels out into the run.

"Hen pecked" is an accurate description in this case.

I plan to let the bantam cockerels out soon as well, but first I need to reinforce the fence. There are holes just big enough for the tiny bantams to get through.

The older ladies are molting. The Black Australorp in particular looks embarrassing.

Chicken update: soft shelled egg

Two weeks ago, I walked by the chicken run and noticed the Red Sex Link just squatting in one spot. Not lying down and resting, but awkwardly squatting. "Hmm... that doesn't look good."

An hour later she was squatting awkwardly in the nesting box with clear fluid coming from her vent. Crap.

Rachel says to gently feel her abdomen to try to figure out what's going on. Internet says to bring her inside and put her in a warm water bath to help relax her muscles.

I go back to get her, and find that she has laid a soft-shelled egg.

Phew! This is just something that happens sometimes. If it's a one-off, it's nothing to worry about. She laid a second soft egg the next day, then one with a semi-soft shell two days after, and then was back to normal.

Meanwhile, the Blue Laced Wyandotte has FINALLY stopped being broody. Not sure if she's back to laying yet, but she's wandering around the run with the other two, and sleeping on the roosting bar instead of in a nest. I guess after six months she had to give up on her dream of being a momma.

Another chicken down

The Gold Laced Wyandotte was found dead within the chicken pen, by the fence line. Mostly like a raccoon attack. That leaves 2 functional adult hens (Black Australorp and Red Sex Link) and the broody Blue Laced Wyandotte. Thank goodness I have 5 standard pullets and a number of bantam girls growing up already. I will put hardware cloth over the section of fence that only has 2x4" openings. I knew that that was a weak point in their protection, and really should have taken care of it when I first set their pen up.