Wordless Wednesday
Wordless Wednesday
2nd Generation Moriesian Filly
It’s a Girl!
Our Easter Sunday gift was the birth of a healthy filly!
Time of Birth: 2:15am 4/4/10
Weight: 100lbs
Sex: Female
Color/Markings: Black – few wight hairs in worl and small white kiss on upper lip
For Sale: $6,500 firm
Stud: Ivan-Reno
Dam: Aurora LaBella Luna
Email: Lindsay@lklik.com
What a great little girl. She was up and nursing within the hour, mom had great colostrum and at 9hrs old baby had a strong IgG. Vet check showed both mom and baby in great health and cleared them to go play outside. At 12 hrs old she was fitted with a halter and had her first lead lesson as we walked both of them to their paddock. She did great! She is very friendly and not shy, loves attention and scratches. Full DVD video of her first day of life is available upon reqest. See our Equine.com Ad
Dealing With Spring Thaw & Snow Melt
Ah yes its March. What a beautiful time of year, days are getting warmer, birds are singing and the snow is melting into rivers and lakes flooding the interior of my barn. *sigh*
We purchased a 30+ year old farm and barn which was made as quickly and as cheaply as possible. In other words neither proper location nor foundation was ever considered when erecting the 35’x75’ barn. Instead the barn sits at the bottom of the hill with no excavating or site prep. With rain or snow melt the 5 acres of pasture uphill from the barn has its entire run off focused straight towards the barn. I’ve done my best over the years to elevate the stall floors by 4-6 inches and dig trenches to divert water flow around the barn but it’s still a losing battle.
Instead, with snow pack higher than the floors of my barn the melt still flows right inside and through the barn. I’ve become accustom to this barn flooding season and know where to store items to allow the water to run through the barn and out the back side.
It is still disheartening when I just put down expensive fresh bedding in a stall just to check the barn camera’s 4 hours later to see a reflective lake shining back at me. All I can do is hope that the snow melts fast and leaves little damage in its wake.
Moral of this story: When building a barn make sure it’s on high ground and has good drainage. Also take into account snow pack being higher than the barn floor and have all run-in areas slope down and away from the barn.
How to make a Recycled Baling Twine Rug
I mentioned in an earlier post that I recycle the twine that comes off my hay bales. I really try not to cut the twine when freeing a bale and if I have to I make a conscious effort to cut it next to the knot. This way I have a length of twine that is the most usable. With most of my hay used up I have a healthy pile of twine ready for repurposing. This time it went into a rug.
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Materials:
Size ‘P’ crochet hook
Baling Twine – approximately 100 bales worth for a 3×2 foot mat
Scissors
Grocery bag
Muscle power!
Size ‘P’ crochet hook
Baling Twine – approximately 100 bales worth for a 3×2 foot mat
Scissors
Grocery bag
Muscle power!
Preparing the Twine
Step 1:
Twine around bales have knots in them. You want to cut these knots off and toss them in your grocery bag. Jute twine is a nice fire starter so I keep mine to get a camp fire going in the summer.
Step 2:
Knot each strand to another to form a long jute rope. Make sure the knots are nice and tight and trim any extra twine hanging out on the off side of the knot. Yes, I save this too for fire starter
Crochet Pattern
Row 1: All SC – This row will be the Length of your rug – Add one extra SC and turn
Row 2: Into backs only! SC all the way add one and turn
Row 3-?: Repeat Row 2 until desired width of rug is achieved
By crocheting into backs only this creates a ribbed pattern which helps with 2 things. It gives your knots a place to hang out and creates ridges so you can scrub the mud and dirt off your barn boots.
Though the pattern is very simple I would have to say this is an intermediate project for one reason. Twine is a P.I.T.A. to work with! It’s not flexible, carries a twist and every 6 feet you have a knot to deal with. When you’re finished with your rug, your hook arm will be very very tired.
If you’re part of the Fiber Arts Friday crowd check out Wonder Why Gal for more cool projects.