Too Late for Hints

Too late for hints because I didn't get around to posting about my secret sewing projects. So much went on this week, papers, a conference, municipal election....

Here is what I was working on:

Miss Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy - or an approximate

They aren't perfectly period I admit, however I am wearing a period stay under my dress and chemise. We had a hard time getting a pattern in time for Mr. Darcy's frock coat, so we had to make due with a later style coat, but I think we pulled it off reasonably well.  I managed to get some drapey 70% wool at Len's Mill in Guelph in a midnight blue. We were going to heighten Mr. Darcy's hat as well, to be more "Regency" but we ran out of time.

We attended a Halloween dance, and I will tell you my dress hem was quite stained with beer and dirt from the floor by the end of the night. We had fun though - a great night.

Here you can better see the lovely embroidered fabric. I was given this fabric a few years ago (left over from someones bridal gown I think - came from a bridal-wear seamstress) and the moment I saw it I thought of this gown. For the lining I used an inexpensive cotton muslin. It has good body and you just can't beat $4 metre.

Winterizing the Chicken Coop

We are almost finished getting our coop ready for winter.  We now have about an R-11. Not perfect, but better than the R-1.75 our plywood was previously! We added blue panel insulation and another inner wall-board.  I still need to paint - but it may have to wait until after the winter if the weather doesn't hold out. Soon it will likely be too cold to paint. Plus I want it to be dry so it will be good for our ladies to sleep in that night. 

Here is the inside - we now have two roosts.

 One at 18' and one at 28". 

The thermometer is obviously so we can keep an eye on the inside temperature.

  Here is a view from the opposite side - facing south.

 Looks like someone is in need of privacy! Soon after she laid a lovely perfect egg.

Yay! The "finished product" as it now stands. We realised their run was far too small and they needed more room. We have had to contain them in their coop and run more often for their own safety as our little yard fence in some spots is only 3'  and one day another dog got in our yard! Thankfully, our dog came charging out (likely to play) and scared the other dog away. Phew!  So, we added a dog run to the side which is 6' high and 7x13' which gives them a total of 129 sq ft in their run to play and scratch.  We will add some aviary netting on top of the run to help keep predators out.  We try to be diligent about putting the ladies away promptly at night as their new run extension is NOT predator proof.

Secret Projects

It turns out I am about to have one of my wishes. I am working on a very special project for Hallowe'en that I have always wanted to do but never got around to it. Period Costumes.

I won't say what period now, but as time rolls by I will post some hints and pictures. My husband and I are going as a pair if that is any hint.

Wish me luck as I haven't had my sewing machines out for awhile.

Yes, I should be working on term papers and such. But sewing is much more fun. With some luck (and planning) I will get to the papers in due time. :)

Little Baby Gifts

I am not much of a knitter. I only remember finishing one needle knit project in my life which was a scarf from a kit my son got for Christmas. He got bored knitting after a few rows, so I finished it for him.

All that stated - I love knitting on the knifty knitter. I would say that perhaps I am addicted to loom knitting and I would love to start knitting socks.

I made this little hat for my new niece Evangeline. She is nearly one month and to be honest, this hat JUST fits. She will likely wear it a month and that's it.  So, truly it is a newborn hat.  I used the Knifty Knitter red loom, two strands of worsted weight 100% wool.  I based it on combining a pattern for a gorgeous needle knit berry hat and an apple hat pattern with a standard Knifty Knitter hat.  I used a 1 over 2 stitch in an e-wrap. The sizing it important because I have read the smallest loom is for newborn hats, but I can attest this will not work as this is what I use for mittens. Also, the red loom is written to be for children 2-5. Wrong again. Firstly children 1 and up have big heads - babies' heads double in size the first year.  I have used the green loom for children 2 and up quite easily. 

I apologise for the strange background for the hat. I snapped this before popping it into the bag and arriving at our Thanksgiving destination.

Eggs, Eggs, and more Eggs...

My girls have been busy.

Some people who have no knowledge of backyard chickens, or chickens in general, might be wondering how many eggs these ladies will lay. I was one of those people only a few months ago and I am still learning every day.

Well, it seems Barred Rocks lay plenty. My girls have now produced 12 dozen eggs as of  this Sunday. That is 11 dozen eggs in only 5 weeks from only 4 hens.  At full production we are now getting a dozen about every three days.

Now, I realise that their laying will reduce in the winter, but for now we are enjoying the delicious eggs we are getting every day which is a bonus most pets don't provide. That is right, I wrote pets because, after all, that is what they are.

Allison with Dot.

We enjoyed Canadian Thanksgiving this past weekend. Family, food and fellowship. Now that sounds Christian! Some of my family members asked the same questions everyone asks of us when they find out we have chickens in the back yard.

For your amusement, here is a list of FAQ's I created from our conversations this weekend.

On keeping chickens in the backyard:
------------------------------------------------

Q1: Don't they smell?
     A1: Nope, keep their coop clean and they don't smell - four chickens don't create as much poop as a big dog. All animal and human waste has to be cleaned up and disposed of. The great thing is chicken waste can be composted in the backyard for use in our garden later.

Q2: Doesn't the dog bother them?
     A2: Nope again. Our dog co-exists in harmony with the chickens and even checks up on them now and then. Once we were watching an old movie that had some free-range chickens making distressed noises - our dog took off to the backyard thinking that our chickens might be in danger when it was only on the movie! All this being stated - it pays to know your dog. Some dogs can't be trusted with chickens and it is up to each of us to know our pets. Check out this story about chickens and dogs: http://communitychickens.blogspot.com/2010/08/chickens-and-dogs.html

Q3: What do your neighbours think?
      A3: Our neighbours are super supportive. We checked with them before we got the chicks to make sure they were okay with it.

Q4: Are the chickens noisy?

      A4:  Not as noisy as the neighbourhood crows and jays or riding lawn mowers and leaf blowers. Seriously though, they make very little noise but they do like to holler a bit to announce they a have laid an egg or if they sense a predator.  in general even this is pretty quiet even in our sleepy little neighbourhood.

Q5: Isn't there a by-law?

     A5: Actually there isn't an explicit by-law about chickens, however there is mention about poultry and livestock in general in the Zoning by-law. It is ambiguous enough that even our planning department wasn't sure if it prohibited chickens or not and during the Official Plan review this year they are hoping to make it more clear and chicken friendly as currently it states prohibition or raising livestock "for fur or food" on all lots 2 hectares or less. This means someone on a 5 acre country lot can't even have one chicken. We know at least dozens of people are breaching this now. However, you will be happy to know that I am permitted a tiger or elephant under the current zoning by-law.

Q6: What will you do in the winter?
     A6: We are in the process of winterizing the coop. We have installed insulation and I designed the coop with winter in mind - there is an east and a south facing window. Our chickens are a winter hardy breed.  Unless it is an unusually harsh winter we are not planning on adding a heat lamp. We will judge that when the situation arises and are going to monitor these girls closely.

Q7: Are you going to eat them?
     A7: We aren't going to eat them. We consider them our pets.