Menokreatikkul; Saturday Stitches

As you will have gathered by now, I have an inordinate amount of 'scrap'... errr... leftovers... odds and sods... tail ends... just crazy amounts. Or I did. No, I still do, but the pile has definitely been reduced by at least one carrier bag load. Maybe a tad more. 

I dropped a hint with the photo a couple of weeks back. Another small project in the same vein as the single row per colour work that I used for the Timelines Dupatta. This was simply to keep my fingers from fidgeting as I kept track of the snooker over that week following Joni's visit. First, there was a small infinity-come-cowl, then a skull cap/slouchy...

As an aside, that big sloppy-joe jumper you see in a lot of my shots at the moment is one of my fave cuddly warmers. It's a bought item, but something I think I might have a go at recreating for myself with some of the other stash lots I have. This one is several years old now and is starting to show its age. Wearable only indoors and not to be seen on the street any more! So, that will be a project for the next cold season. Given the return to winter weather this week, that might be sooner than later   ❄🌨🌧 with occasional  🌦 ... I mean, seriously???

Anyway, despite the handiness of the finger scythe, colourwork row by row does get a bit tedious, and I wanted to make a bigger dent in that scrap stock, so I decided to make a much larger infinity scarf and just run each colour to its end. It was a fast and easy task, using a 6mm Tunisian hook and the mesh stitch. I am really loving this stitch, as it is less inclined to curl the fabric in the way other stitches do - a slight hiccup with Tunisian stitching, as it is worked only from one side. The nature of the meshing also results in one of the finer fabrics, less bulky than would be the case, say, with simple or full stitches.

Now, I know it's not everyone's cuppa, but I say don't be afraid of colour, people! I was determined to use up all that I had in this particular batch, ending up with roughly two metres of fabric and about 30cm width (cast on fifty stitches, the fabric being of the heavy #3 to light #4 weights, all acrylic).

Hanging straight like this, it goes most of the way to my knees if standing, covers them when sitting - as you note, my arm is not long enough to show it fully! It would only really be for sitting that it would be worn open like this. Mostly it will be folded up at least once - either to form a loose snood/hood, or to be a full and generous cowl...

I had a bit of a brainstorm and wondered if it could be worn as a sort of shrug. The answer, it turns out, is yes... a bit untidy here, because I was just experimenting, but it felt good and comforting on my back, so it would be fab for an additional layer over another jumper like this. I'm all for layering! You can see the slouch of the beanie here, now, too. As I took this shot, despite how light that looks in the background, it was actually snowing outside the window on Wednesday. Didn't lie, but actual, flaky snow... then we got battered with a 30-minute graupel storm (that's the snow pellets that resemble hail, for those who are wondering).  Sigh... 

Menoturals; Cattle Crew

It's Final Friday time, shared with Nature Friday, hosted by our pals, the LLB Gang.

Today, I bring you the final breed of cattle from the Westmoreland Show archives. I have been keeping this one for FFF because I think it has that something a little bit extra special, that je ne sais quoi... It is not a rare breed. Far from it, but it is up there with Highland cattle as being well-loved, deeply commercial, but adorable with it.

THE JERSEY  🐮

First, let me share the image from my show visit.

The first thing that the uninitiated are inclined to comment upon is the bony appearance. One can be forgiven for thinking that Jerseys often look skeletal on their spine and hindquarters. However, this is actually the ideal weight for a dedicated dairy animal. To have more fat on them would detract from milk production.

Jersey cows are the second-most prolific milk producers, after the ubiquitous Holstein/Fresian. That said, the breed is quite often adapted around the world and interbred. Here in the UK (and in some other parts of the globe), just as with the Herefords, there is a strict ruling about marketing. Anything claiming to be Jersey milk/butter/cream, etc, must be from a certified and verified bloodline Jersey heritage. In other countries, and specifically the USA, there has been 'development' of the breed and the lineage there is considered a sub-breed, being much larger and less refined in appearance. Product should be marked as American Jersey.

The original island cattle are small in stature, lightweight, very docile, and have a strict breeding code. Some herds have imported semen from other cattle, so the progeny cannot be recorded in the herd book, and the product from those cattle cannot be claimed as being Jersey dairy. 

Jerseys make good pet cows, too. My aunt was permitted one on the hill farm - Missy - and it is on her that I learned to milk by hand. It was a joy, then, when visiting the Sydney City Farm a few years back, that I got the chance to milk their pet Jersey, Jenny...

She took her time sniffing me to make sure I was the right sort of person to be manhandling her bits! Acquaintance made, things went well. There may have been a demand for hay...

Jersey milk is the champagne of milks. After tea and water, milk is what I love to drink, whether straight from the bottle/carton, warmed up, made into shakes or smoothies... or custard... I'm a proper milkaholic. When budget allows, I extend to purchase of Graham's Gold Top (pure Jersey), though they also do a fine organic range from their mixed herds. 

Oh slurperoonies!!! 

Interestingly, I am not much of one for cream, but I do enjoy the proper milk top clots that Graham's get into their Gold Top bottles. It takes me back to childhood and that fresh-from-Missy milk. 

Excuse me... I'm having a moment...

Let's finish off with just a wee video of Dr Graham telling us about his Jersey herd... and that's it - for now - on the farm animals. Thanks for coming along on these posts, and for showing enthusiasm!

Menowercogitatus; Involves Thinking

There's an awful lot going on in the world, heh na? Sitting in The Hutch, the riskiest thing in life for me is that the ceiling falls in. (Trust me, that's a distinct possibility, and I'm not talking metaphorically.) Of course, there are many for whom more than the ceiling collapsed.  It is tempting to bury my head entirely in my yarn works and some of the more distracting listening and watching, keeping the world at bay.

I'm rather too concerned a human being to play ostrich, though. I like to stay informed and educated. Take the recent events nearby; the fire that really b******d up a lot of folks' plans. There has been a lot of speculation and plenty of folk willing to jump on the doom train (pardon the transport reference), but in truth, the actual cause has yet to be fully investigated. I have come across an excellent short video by a professor specialising, among other things, in fire engineering. His credentials having been vetted, I am happy to share this with you here. It's eight minutes, and I found it informative and rational:

Then there is the more distant stuff happening, which is affecting the whole world at one level or another. I have mentioned once or twice before that I greatly enjoy the podcast called Empire, run by William Dalrymple and Anita Anand. There are lots of history shows out there, but these two make sure that every corner is explored, that time is taken to dig deep and add to knowledge and understanding, expanding appreciation of the role of history in showing us what is happening now. This was especially pertinent when, last week, three shows were dedicated to interviewing some prominent Iranian expats, and we were able to hear their perspectives in relation to the history of Persia/Iran. If you are at all interested and care about geopolitics, and particularly the current schemozzle, then I cannot recommend this trio of podcasts highly enough. I link you to them via the YouTube feed, rather than the Spotify. These are not for agreeing or disagreeing, but for absorbing and broadening one's sense of what the heck is going on.

Ali Ansari

Kim Ghattas

Christiane Amanpour

A lot of podcasts now have membership setups so that you can listen uninterrupted, and get extras and such like. I have resisted the majority, perfectly happy to put up with (skip) ad-breaks and come back weekly for episodes. So far, though, two have absolutely captured me and are worth every penny: Empire, and Sherlock & Co. I've told you about them before (check back on the label if you missed them). 

Now I have found a new source of excellent listening for which I have been happy to fork out some of my meagre pension! This, I think is particularly good value, as one is joining not a single podcast, but a host of several podcasts, so lots to listen to for a humble twenty bucks per year. 

Noiser. Click the image to be transported there!

Quality productions, and again, historically based. There are some readings of Austen, Conan Doyle, and Dickens, but other shows explore actual historical events and epochs. Iain Glen's narration of Real Vikings is fabulous, lending dramatic gravitas. I have just started Detectives Don't Sleep, which is equally as captivating. I am looking forward to working my way through everything on offer! 

So yes, they help to temper the mood against the weight of world affairs...