I’ve finished the Jacob waistcoat! It’s been a bit of an off-on project – very quick to knit when I got down to it.
It’s going in the Annual Show on Friday. I’ll put up photos after that.
I spent an inspiring hour with Fenella this afternoon, training Tan. I arrived at her place just before she returned, so talked to one of her sheepdogs until the hail became too severe and he sensibly went into his kennel!
Fenella then arrived and we talked dogs whilst we drank tea and waited for the rain to ease off a bit. Then out to the field with the hoggs (last year’s lambs) in it.
Fenella had originally trained Tan, and I learnt so much just by observing and listening to the tone of her commands as she worked her with the sheep.
I now know how much to put into my voice and how to keep Tan listening to me. Hopefully I can put it into practice when I next work her with my sheep.
How about this?
Started the right front of the waistcoat last night. Lovely simple pattern, knits up a treat, starting with one stitch, increasing two stitches each RS row, get to row 23, have the correct number of stitches on the needle (25). Pattern now changes a little, decreasing one stitch at the beginning of each RS row and also inc. two in that row, so total inc., still one stitch per RS row. (WS rows area always purl – did I say that it was a lovely simple pattern?)
Get to the end of row 37 and I have 32 sts – 32! If the pattern is to be believed that should be 35. [Pattern says that at the end of row 39 I should have 36 sts.] I checked the Ravelry page to see if anyone had commented on lack of stitches – No. I checked my maths (always a good idea!). Ho, humm…
Having slept on it (not literally) I’ve decided that the correct number of sts is probably more important than correct number of rows, so am going to carry on increasing until row 45. Hmph…
Will post a photo when it’s got a bit further on.
Be warned, I’m trying to find a theme that I both like, and that has the update information that I like to see on it!
The back of the waistcoat was finished last night, and I wondered what would be the best back-drop for a photo. Having just run the hoover over it, Tan’s Vetbed sprang to mind, so I spread the back on the Vetbed…
Then she got comfortable!
Well, it's *my* Vetbed!
Tan making herself at home.
We negotiated – i.e. she had a cuddle, then I got the photo I wanted!
The finished back
Friday’s weather was too good to waste and I had an extremely muddy dog to get clean, so after lunch Jean and I met at Backaskaill beach for a walk along the sand.
Thanks to Jean for the photos.
The wide sweep of Backaskaill Bay
Into the distance
There's always time for a pat
Good dogs
We had also hoped to find some old containers at the high water line that could have been made into plant containers, but there were none.
The sheep had to be vaccinated on Thursday, so I got the pen ready and took Tan in to the field to gather the hoggs (last year’s lambs) ready for Fenella’s arrival. She was coming with her dogs to help getting the pregnant ewes in – Tan is a bit boisterous to trust with the ewes.
However, Fenella arrived before I’d finished getting the hoggs in. (They were being rather awkward, and my sheepdog-handling skills still leave something to be desired!)
Finally all the sheep were in and two very muddy dogs were put into their respective Land Rovers to dry off.
Fifteen of the sheep had to be vaccinated, and after half an hour or so they were all done, plus we’d trimmed the Shetlands’ feet. Fenella also checked to see which were likely to be in lamb, and reckoned that all the Shetlands were, plus the two Jacobs and the two former caddy lambs, but she wasn’t certain about the Hebrideans, which had been running with a different ram. We’ll know in a few weeks!
After all that, it being a cold afternoon, we retired inside for a cup of tea and a small restorative raspberry brandy!
I thought I’d let Tan dry off and get the mud out of her fur when it was dry, but wished I’d washed some of it off when I saw how thick it was. So I decided that whatever the weather was the next day I’d have to wash the mud off somehow.
