One hat done many more to knit

While we were on our vacation in October (I promise I will post pictures and adventures from our vacation soon)  I showed our friend Wendy some of my yarn.  I was knitting a hat and she wanted one!  So now only about six weeks later I have it finished and it will be making it's way to Memphis tomorrow!

 The hat is knit from my girls wool, it was spun at Black Berry Ridge and I dyed it.  The background color is multi colored blues and purples.

My current project is a Seaman Style scarf made out of natural gray wool from our girls.  It was also spun at Black Berry Ridge.  I'm hoping to have that finished for a friend on Friday night.  Then the next knitting projects will be some more tiger paw ear flap hats.  They will be available on Etsy soon!

Okay so I'm putting in a couple of the pictures from our vacation.  This was at Gettysburg.  The barn in the background was actually there during the battle.  I'm planning on doing some reading on Gettysburg before our next trip back.  

No vacation is complete without some sheep.  This is a sheep from Mount Vernon.  It is a Hog Island Sheep.

Sorry I don't have a picture of Lucy to put up in this blog.  All of her pictures are on my phone.  She had something on her head tonight and had a bath in the sink!

I must knit!

Pam from Wisconsin

What You've Missed

Alternate Title: What We Haven't Been Blogging About!

So I guess the Fall got away from us. Here it is in a quick breakdown:

Randy and Pam had a lovely visit to North Carolina, and a few other places along the way. Pam wants to share some photos and some stories - when she gets time!

Kirsten is back in school! And has even decided what to do with her life - sort of. You can expect fewer posts from her as she struggles with a full course load until 2016-ish.

There have been new developments in Hide and Hair's mice on Etsy. New snowflake mice, new Peace, Love and Happiness Mice and new ways to purchase them thanks to changes made by Etsy!

The fabled Kick Sticks (which have been in the works for months now) have gone through rigorous testing and are now available for sale on Etsy!

It has been a tough year for pets as Randy and Pam said goodbye to Spike, Ginger, Sheila and Bruce. This fall though, they said hello to Lucy! (Expect pictures to follow - they are a bit enamored). Kirsten and Matt lost Bernard to wool block. He was one of those unfortunate bunnies who got wool block every three months with his shed, and he didn't make it through the last one. As Bernie was more of a pet who gave lots of fiber rather than a farm animal who produced fiber, they won't be finding a replacement anytime soon.

The Fall has been filled with travelling, job changes, Community Band events, sewing and lots of knitting. Looking forward to what's left of the Christmas season, and a winter filled with more fun, and knitting!

September already?

So August might have gotten away from us here at Hide and Hair. It was a crazy month with the Jackson County Fair, a family reunion, a vacation (for Kirsten and Matt at least), three wisdom teeth removed (Matt), and a new found diet. The Tomato garden also got away from me here in MT - too bad they will all freeze before they all ripen!

Here it is in July:

And here it is this afternoon (sorry for the glare!):

I can't hardly find my Banana Peppers (see them there on the left of the close up) and my carrots and onions are definitely MIA. Well, lessons learned for next year, tomatoes will take over everything if you let them. And so will squash. 

Next week: Pictures from Matt and Kirsten's wild drive across the mid-parts of the US! On a crusade to visit all family members Matt and Kirsten went on a 9 day journey from Montana to Indiana and back again by way of Wisconsin, Minnesota, and South Dakota! 

Yellowstone

Matt and I have lived in Montana for two years now and finally went to Yellowstone National Park two weekends ago. It was a ton of fun! We didn't have much time or money, but we got to visit the Grizzly and Wolf Discovery Center:

See some beautiful sights:

And climb hundreds of stairs to see the sights at Mammoth Hot Springs:

All in all a great day trip!!

Flowering Peas

I finally have flowers on my peas! And on my tomatoes, squash, and peppers :) Photographic evidence that my thumb isn't black, as previously thought:

New Year Resloutions

Well, it is July 1st. The first six months of the year are behind us, and the last six start today. I thought it was a good time to talk about where we're at on our resolutions. The big winner is Matt! He wanted to quit smoking and he started the patch January 1st. 10 weeks later he was off the patch, and hasn't had a cigarette since 2011!! Way to go Matt!!

My biggest resolution was to brush my teeth more/better, and after a few false starts I have brushed my teeth every day for the last two months! Woohoo!

As for the other resolutions:

1. Write more on this blog!

2. Try to focus on the positive, even when I don't want to.

3. Eat food that is good for me, more than I eat food that is bad!

4. Be more active, even if that means just getting out of my desk more at work.

5. Keep making progress on my debt, even if I have to do it $25 at a time.

6. Knit more!

1. Well we've averaged 3 posts a month since January, I'd say that's pretty darn good. :)
2. Can't really tell where I'm at with the positive thinking - it's difficult to quantify. But if I had to say, I think this year has been very positive, with bits of complete negativity (that's what happens when someone loses their job and you can't pay your bills for two months though...so I'd say I'm doing better than expected!)
3. With Matt switching from nights to days eating better has actually been easier. We both usually want to eat at the same time and can make healthy meals together instead of running to a fast food joint. Also on nights he works I have been eating a super plain, boring, healthy Chicken breast/baked potato/veggie meal that is also helping me keep on track with my new weight loss goal! (More to come on that later!)
4. Summertime means we are active no matter what. Hiking, walking, Matt's even talked me into jogging a few times! I bought an Xbox with Kinect too, and this winter spent a little time playing Zumba and Your Shape Fitness Evolved. I wasn't as good about it as I was hoping, but I think I can carry my momentum from this summer forward into this fall and winter.
5. Ah, the debt resolution. I was actually doing decently well on that one...but sometimes you can't help it when life intervenes. We're back to square one essentially on our debt, but with hard work I think we can get it reigned in again by Christmas.
6. I can't say that I've really knit much more than last year so far, but I have definitely made more, and signed up for more craft shows. I made a foray into sewing this spring, and have been trying to get to the Harmony Markets on a regular basis.

And my crafting goals?

1. Knit a pair of socks!

2. Finish Matt's Mitts (or just start over!)

3. Finish other half-done projects, including the blue snowflake scarf :)

4. Finish a Buy Local bag and list it for sale on Etsy.

5. Knit lots and lots of hats for next year, so I'll be ready to go to craft shows!

1. Done!
2. Well...they are still on hold for now...
3. I finished the Blue Snowflake Scarf at least, I count that as progress :)
4. Finished 4 Buy Local bags, but didn't list them on Etsy. Ended up selling two to the nice lady who runs the Harmony Markets, sent one back to BRF and have the fourth here in MT. Hopefully I will get that one up on Etsy before the year is out ;)
5. I have made lots of hats, and even have a model for children's sizes now. So I would call that one good too!

Of course goals change, and I've added a few more. In May my friend Zach graduated from College, his family came out and took photos to commemorate the event. I was in a few of those pictures and barely recognized myself! At 178 pounds I am at my heaviest ever, and compared to a 125 pound me I look like a different person. So, new goal - get to 120 pounds by my 26th birthday, which will be in May of 2013. In the two months I've been charting my progress I'm down to 167 pounds and feeling a whole lot better about myself. Still not ready for any more photo ops, but I can walk up Highland Blvd on my walk home without stopping on the bench halfway up, and I can jog down Peet's Hill without falling in a heap at the bottom (although somedays I would like to!) I can do an hour and a half of Zumba and still feel like dancing while I make supper. It's going to be hard, and it's going to be a long journey, but by this time next year I should be back in my cute little skirts and the metal belt! ;)

So, how are you doing on your goals?

Introducing Upcycled Cat Toys

Meet the newest member of our Cat Toy team, the Upcycled Critter Cat Toys!

These toys are stitched up from the fabric of discarded clothing, with a little work (and a lot of catnip!) they have been given a new purpose in life! There are four shapes - Mouse, Bird, Fish, and Ball. The Mice and Bird varieties come with a string (or two!) of hemp twine, which - along with the catnip inside the toys - drives cats bonkers! I've also been working on a line of "Kick Sticks" which are stuffed tubes of fabric (socks!) that also contain catnip! Lela is modeling one below:

Look for them on Etsy now!

And now for more from the Kitty Modeling shoot:

Norman was camera shy, but I caught this when he wasn't looking!

Another Beautiful Hike

In Montana in summertime there is nothing like a hike. We went over to the Mountain Horse Drinking Trail two weekends ago and captured some of the beauty of nature, and I'd like to share it with you :)

It is a gorgeous trail, with spectacular views, and is perfect for hiking with dogs! It was difficult for me, but I'm out of shape, and there were people of all ages going up and already coming back down when we got there at 8:30. These two were some of the ones we met coming down on our way up:

What well behaved dogs! I bet their owner got a great shot of them overlooking the valley below us! I wonder if I could get Lela and Norman to pose on a mountainside..... ;)

Peas!

After weeks of planting, weeding, watering, and cajoling, the only plants doing well in my garden are the peas!! Here's proof!

Bozeman is Beautiful

This weekend we have snow in Bozeman, MT. But the last two weekends were beautiful! Just to prove it, I took some pictures on our first M hike of the year, and our first Peet's Hill walk. Behold, the beauty of Bozeman ;)

Specialty Mice

Norman LOVES mice :)

At Hide and Hair, we love Mice! Not the real mice that scurry on your floors and leave little droppings, but our felted wool, catnip stuffed, shaker or bell noisemaking Mice! We love them so much we make them for every occasion, every cat (or dog!) and every person. We've made Packers, Vikings, snowflakes, meow, help, striped, fuzzy, and peace, love, and happines. They come in different colors, sometimes different shapes and sizes. Some even come without noisemakers or catnip (for all the 'mean drunks' out there)! We love our mice so much, that we've even started making specialty mice for specialty stores!

Immediately after this was taken, she stole one from the bowl.

First up in our new series called Specialty Mice for Specialty Stores is the EEK mouse, found only at Maiden Wisconsin! Here's what owner Deb had to say about this Specialty Store:

Maiden Wisconsin is found at 124 N. Water Street in the heart of historic downtown Sparta Wisconsin, and is across from Ginny's Cupboard Restaurant. We are located in the newly restored 1899 Sugden building where the original maple floors and ornate tin ceiling are still intact! Gifts of the area abound: whether jewelry, paintings, t-shirts, jams, mixes, soaps, toys, candies, carvings, games, dog treats, felted items, area publications or some great "EEK" catnip mice; Maiden Wisconsin has them for your enjoyment. These often one-of-a-kind destination gifts cater to the locals, bike trail visitors, and military at near by Fort McCoy. Come in and have a handful of popcorn, a micro-brewed soda, and enjoy the wonderful artisan products! We are open M-Sat 9-3, but if you come by and see her closed, just ask a soda jerk over at Ginny's and we will be happy to open the doors for you!

Norman kept getting scared of the camera, and never caught one for himself. 

So the next time you find yourself in Sparta, drop by this wonderful local store and check out what they've got to offer, I'm sure you won't be disappointed!

Gardening In Montana

Not only will this be my first garden in Montana, it is the first garden I have designed myself. Our wonderful landlords built me a little raised bed garden, and I have a few other sites around the yard for other items. I'm focusing on vegetables, because I would rather be able to eat my garden than look at it :)

Here's what it looks like now:

Raised Bed and Three Sisters Area (I will cut the sod next week)

Peas and Parsnips Fence (Full of weeds at the moment)

Broccoli and Bush Beans (Yes those are Elm Trees right now)

Hopefully in a few weeks I'll have shots of real vegetables! Of course, I will be cheating a little bit...I'm planning on buying tomato and pepper plants...but everything else is from seed! Wish me luck! :)