Handknit Prezzie Idea for Valentine's Day, MORE Lambs

We interrupt the birth of the lambs for a little bit of knitting. I might as well join in with all the crazy Valentine's Day hype. Can't get away from it, can you? I've just knit up a new version of my Knit It - Felt It - Zip It Bag.

It's a Valentine's Day gift for Julia. We need a way to reign in all those markers that fall on the floor of the car all the time! In pink, of course - her favorite color. You can find the pattern available for PDF download on my Shop Page and read a little more about my project on my Julia Yarn Page here. The triangle pattern is included with the pattern (even though it isn't photographed on the pattern page). In fact, I have added 3 bonus charts for you to try. They are all photographed before and after felting. There is also a section a "how-to" section on choosing colors for working with two colors. I think this pattern is a real bargain at $6.

One little trick I'd love to share.... if you look close at the triangle motifs, you'll see that there is a difference in the rows of darker triangle colors.


I was running out of my Velvet Moss Julia and I wanted the triangles to be dark. I striped the triangle motifs using both the Velvet Moss color and Steel Grey shade. Each triangle row is a different color. Look close! It is barely noticeable but got me through the project.

Here's a second photo showing a different color variation on the triangle motif.

This pattern is really versatile because it is sized in 4 different sizes - these are the small and medium bags. There are also smaller and larger bags included too! It really is an easy project to whip up if you are familiar with two color knitting. Instant PDF downloads really do make this possible! See the idea on the web, grab your odds and ends and you can begin this evening! I love it! If you have trouble understanding the rectangular pick-up at the beginning of the bag, see this post.

And since farming never stops, have a look at what The Farmer brought home the other night.

What is it you ask? It is a bucket of cow colostrum. His brother is a dairy farmer and had a cow that freshened (calved). When his cows have babies, he machine-milks the mothers separately so that the colostrum is saved and fed to the calves. (Most dairy cattle do not raise their young - the babies are taken off them immediately and a farmer hand feeds them with a bottle.) David was kind enough to share the "colostrum wealth." It is going in the freezer in yogurt containers and we'll use it to feed bottle lambs whose Mamas aren't able to give them colostrum. All this talk about colostrum...... maybe some of you don't know what it is..... It is the first milk that comes from a mammal mother - sheep, goat, cow, human..... It is thick, sweet and full of nutrients. When a lamb is born, it is really important for it to drink this first milk as it also helps guard them against disease.

Here are some photos of this weekend's new arrivals.


This baby is so darn cute.


And this one --- aaaaawwwww!


One week til Valentine's Day - get knitting. I am!