the tiny homestead

winter woods

Lucy

Meet Lucy, the newest member of our family! We've been discussing getting a dog for some time around here. It's been four years since our girl Livia passed away and up until now I really don't think we've been quite ready to bring a new dog into our home. We knew we wanted a big dog with a gentle disposition that would be a good fit for our kids and farm animals. Lucy is a Shiloh Shepherd, you can read more about them here. She's already a sweet and docile companion and she'll surely watch over our flock of chickens (and soon to be ducks). 

miracle on 34th street

Every holiday season Hampden, a large neighborhood within Baltimore City, decorates an entire block of row homes with lights and quirky Christmas decorations. People come from all over to take in the sight that is "Miracle on 34th Street." We are lucky enough to call the lovely people who live in the "Natty Boh" house our friends. They have done such a wonderful job preserving the holiday tradition in their little corner of the neighborhood!

This is the second year we've been able to make it down with the little ones. While it's crowded, it is definitely worth the trip. Be sure to bring your camera and dress warmly. Go check it out! 

thanksgiving snow

We had our first snow of the season this past Wednesday. Snow in November! We played outside, drank lots of hot cocoa, and kept cozy by the fire. A perfect way to kick off the long holiday weekend! I hope you had a lovely Thanksgiving and a wonderful weekend. Cheers!

a pointy red pixie hat

I first made this hat a few years ago in pink with a pink fleece trim. Unfortunately, the pattern, found here, only covers sizes up to three years. To make this one, I simply added about a half inch to the top and back of the hat. I used basic polyester fleece for the shell and the lining is a remnant of a soft, brushed cotton fabric by Nani Iro. The trim and straps are just cotton double fold bias tape (the pattern calls for using strips of jersey ribbing, but I cannot sew with jersey to save my life!). This has to be one of my favorite hats I've made for her so far and she's such a good sport. She LOVES everything I make for her and wears it with such pride. She makes my mama heart happy!

in the garden

As our growing season comes to a close, here a just a few highlights from this year's garden -

:: this year's butternut squash harvest was amazing - we'll be eating it in various forms all winter long ::

:: kale, the only green food my children will eat, was a life saver this summer and fall. The unseasonably cold weather has shortened its life span, but it was good while it lasted. Of course, the remnants are a well loved treat for the chickens too ::

:: beets and cucumbers in mass quantities fill our pantry in the form of pickles. I love the recipes from The Pickled Pantry (the bread and butter pickle recipe is crazy good) ::

:: mint and parsley and oregano - oh my! In everything, on everything, everywhere, all the time! ::

:: tons of heirloom tomatoes that sadly did not make it into a can this year. Hey, a girl can't do EVERYTHING! ::

:: we lost two chickens this year - our rooster and one of our first hens, Ruby. Both  passings were incredibly sad for us, but we knew it was an inevitability when choosing to keep livestock. In the spring we'll be welcoming more chickens and hopefully, a few ducks - stay tuned! ::

Tell me, how did your garden grow this year?

 

camille

I have been wanting to make this sweater for my daughter since I first started knitting several years ago. I had initially purchased the baby/toddler pattern, but just never got around to making it. I think I was a little nervous about this project at the time because, after all, I was a newbie and the idea of following a chart to knit was a bit foreign to me. Recently, as I was cleaning out my knitting cabinet, I came across an old zip-lock bag filled with patterns and once again I was smitten with Camille. I had to purchase the kid sized version from Quince and Company and three skeins of Osprey in Carrie's Yellow. I just love this sweater so much. It was so much easier to knit than I ever could have imagined years ago when I was first starting out. Quince and Co. sells this pattern for adults as well. Hmm, let me finish that Barn Sweater first. Ha!

springtime work and fun

And just like that, spring. Busy hands, outdoor fun, and the work of the growing season lie ahead. I hope you are enjoying the return of warmer weather and some very much needed vitamin D!

on the equinox

:: tulips are making an appearance on the table ::

:: I'm still knitting away ::

:: those girls are very busy laying eggs ::

:: a few new ladies joined the flock - another Ameruacana and two Cuckoo Marans (they lay chocolate brown eggs!) ::

:: the "old" ladies are helping to clean last summer's bugs out of the garden before planting begins ::

:: our feet are muddy and we're spending more time outside ::

:: there's still a bit of snow in the orchard ::

:: the earliest signs of spring are all around - even if the polar vortex sees it differently ::

Happy Spring!

a sweater for the birthday boy

My baby turns five next week. Five! I can't believe how quickly time seems to be flying by - much too fast for my liking.  A few weeks ago I started this sweater for him as a birthday handmade from mama. I was a little nervous about it as this is about the fourth time I've started knitting this sweater and given up. I'm relatively new to knitting (I've only been doing it for a couple of years) and every new project seems to present a new set of skills to master. With this sweater it was the dreaded short rows. I know, I know! Some of you experienced knitters might be thinking "come on, piece of cake", but this really was a little intimidating for me. I kept ending up with holes from the yarn overs (perfectionists don't do well with little holes in their knitting) and wrapping is just too complicated for my taste. After frogging the entire yoke this last time I almost gave up again until I realized my yarn overs were a little too excessive - I think I was going around the needle twice without realizing it. Yes, I figured out! No holes = happy perfectionist! It was easy knitting from there and here you have it, the Fisherman's Pullover by Veera Valimaki with yarn from Quince and Company Puffin in Peacock. Of course, I had to give it to him early. It barely made it off the needles before it was going over his head. It is so warm and soft and already feels broken in. I hope he loves it as much as his mama does.