hello spring!

It's just lovely outside. Breezy, warm and green, with so many flowers popping up everywhere.

Here are the chicks, about 6 weeks old in this photo, scratching around in the backyard. The Little Pea loves playing with them. They're quite friendly, and if she sits in my lap, they will come right up to her and allow some pats. They are now 8 weeks old and ready to move to the coop outside - that's our plan for this afternoon, since it's going to be warm and summery all week.

They are also the reason that I don't seem to have enough knitting time. Wait, do I ever have enough knitting time? Does anyone? But really, cleaning a chicken cage every day and keeping up with all their needs... it does eat away at one's free time. All the same, the Pea's little spring green hoodie is coming along, however slowly.



I'm knitting it from the bottom-up. The other day when I attached the sleeves to the body, I started to finally get excited about this jacket. Sleeve attachment is always a very dramatic stage in the process. Knitting the yoke always feels like the home stretch.

I've been wondering why this project has dragged so much. I think it might be the yarn. It's Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece, which is a wonderfully versatile and practical yarn... and you know how practical isn't always a virtue. That's like saying about a member of the opposite sex that they have a "nice personality." Nice, but not even a little bit sexy. Cotton Fleece wears so well and softens nicely with each wash, but it's just a bit stiff to work with right off the skein. Not really the luxurious knitting experience that I crave when my precious knitting time is so limited. But it is knitting up into a very cute little jacket all the same. I'm sure the jacket will have a nice personality, too.

I hope to finish it this weekend. I'll have plenty of knitting time on the train - I'm headed northwards to visit the lovely Miss Bugheart. Can't wait!