ginger and beer

My chickens are sick. They caught the plague from the corn-pilfering pigeons and I am tending their bedsides in the morning and evening, dabbing iodine on their swollen little faces and hoping they don't die. I've got Schrödinger's coop in my yard, and I brace myself every time I open the nesting box. There isn't much to do about an avian virus except wait it out. I am really bummed about it. 

Friday was my last night alone for a long time, so I changed the chickens' food and water, poured out one nice dark beer for dinner, and went down to the studio. I discovered where the paint-licking cockroaches were hiding; in the hollowed-out carcass of my ginger knob. They scattered when I shook it. I painted it anyway. 

more wiggly shadows!

I didn't pre-mix color strings for this one, I just worked straight from the mess on my palette (which is still a plastic lunchmeat lid covered in tin foil). It's getting easier - I got this one done in 2 hours, and had time to watch Netflix and knit my Seattle sweater before bed. I really dig having a few nights to myself.

Might try a self-portrait next, if I get the kids to bed on time one of these nights.

The chicken tracks hat (pattern)

HERE BE PATTERN

Chicken Tracks 

The most sophisticated and alluring hat with chickens and a pompom that you will ever need. 

Note: My patterns are more like guidelines, so you have to basically know what you're doing. This is your standard stranded hat with square decreases. The size is based around an 11-stitch chart, so if you want to make it bigger, add 11 stitches. To make it smaller, subtract 11 stitches. It should be loose and slouchy, so it's okay if it's a little taller than your head in the end.

Materials:

4 colors of sock yarn (whatever you have the most of for the main color, two chicken colors, one accent color for the chicken tracks)

8" circular needles, size 3
Set of 5 size 3 double-pointed needles
Fits a not-dainty-headed adult

Directions:

Using main color, CO 142

Join in the round, being sure not to twist, and place marker at beginning of row.

Work in 1x1 ribbing for 5 inches or so. It's okay if it's a bit loose; that makes it warm and stretchy and it'll fold over anyway so nobody will notice.

Switch to st st, and decrease 10 stitches evenly over next round. 132 stitches. Knit 3 rounds even.

Add your accent color and knit track 1 (charts below) over the next 3 rounds.

Continue knitting 2 rounds in main color between each chart and carrying up your colors, working charts in this order:

chicken 1 

track 2

chicken 2 

track 1

chicken 1

track 2

(Basically, you have the tracks and the chickens headed in the one direction and then turning around and running back the other way.)

When you have worked all the chart repeats, work 2 rounds in main color, placing stitch markers every 33 stitches.

On next main color round, decrease 1 stitch before and after each stitch marker; k2tog, ssk. Knit 1 round even.

Decrease every other round 4 times, continuing to work in stripes of tracks and main color (work the decreases in main color and pull them tight so there's no gap), then switch to dp needles, with the stitch marker in the middle of each needle for easy decreasing, and decrease every round until 3 stitches remain on each needle. Break yarn, thread end through remaining stitches, and pull tight. Weave in ends, block. Then make a big fat pompom out of your remaining yarn, using the cardboard donut technique. Sew that sucker on securely.

Pau! You are so hip and mysterious.

Charts:

Tracks 1

Chicken 1

Tracks 2

Chicken 2

the patron saint of veterinarians is after me

I was feeling pretty damned pleased with myself for saving a chicken and some money with my DIY emergency medical skills, and then we came home yesterday to discover the cat's eyeballs had turned grey and cloudy. My veterinary skills start and end with sticking my fingers in things, and that didn't seem likely to help the situation at all, so we shoved the cat in a carrier and drove to the vet.

"There is pus accumulating inside his eyes," the vet said, giving him a shot in the butt.

Did you know that cats can get infections that fill their eyeballs with pus? I did not know this. I did not want to know this. Those dog anal glands are starting to look more and more manageable these days.

I was sent home with a $180 bottle of eye drops and instructions to administer them 4 times a day for a week. Except I am not home 4 times a day. I realized I was going to have to forfeit my precious lunch break illustration time while I drove back and forth from work in the middle of the day to chase a cat - and then the school called. "Your kid threw up all over the cafeteria floor, he needs to go home."

CHICKENS. CATS. CHILDREN.

So the good news is that I got my illustration time after all, and I'm home to fight with the cat over eye drops.

Three mishaps is the magic number, right? I have paid my penance to the gods of pus and vomit and chicken butts. Looking forward to hearing from the gods of $5 bills found on the ground and surprise candy in jacket pockets, instead.

- - -

Related, I stayed up late the other night to decompress with actual paper and pencils/pens. Spent the whole time tapping "undo" and trying to span my fingers to zoom in. Maintaining brain connections is hard.

Well that was anticlimactic

Which is how you want your climate events to be.

Cleaning house and prepping food for the holiday bbq with all the cousins. Well, more accurately, sitting on rocking chair, taking a break from scrubbing toilets and cleaning the fridge and tracking down the dead-animal smell in the garage (it was a rat).

Here are more chickens.

Chuck and I get each other.

Bill Weasley the primordial chicken. He feels the dinosaurs stampeding through his veins. Mundungus the Pigeon, Raider of Chicken Scratch,  is going to feel his raptor wrath. As soon as he weighs more than a hunk of bread.

Sirius, the sweetest little baby hen. Never lose those wide innocent eyes, love.

Scorpius is a creature of the bushes, lurking and hiding and scratching and then LEAPING AT YOUR FACE. We don't know if this one is male or female, because Scorpius rejects our gender norms. Built like a hen, aggressive as a rooster, we just don't know what to expect from young Scorpius, and that's why we love... um, Scorpius.

Mundungus would like to submit an application to qualify as a chicken and live in the coop with free food, plz.

Zenny is mad I won't let her throw chickens like footballs. Life is hard.

Today in poultry cuddling

Today in poultry cuddling