Episode 156 Owl Shadows

Listen here or use the Flash Player on this site for current and past episodes. Flash Player is not compatible with Internet Explorer.  Try a different browser like Safari.  Or jaunt on over to iTunes to find the show there.

This episode is sponsored by my Longaberger Home Business and Quince & Co.

Squishy, lofty, plump, little Owl by Quince & Co is made from a blend of American alpaca and wool. It's spun and dyed in New England and knits up between 4 ½ to 5 stitches per inch, the perfect weight for just about everything.

Find Owl and the other Quince fibers at www.quinceandco.com.

You can find my Longaberger Home Business at www.longaberger.com/paula.  Please send me a personal message or visit my web site to sign up for my customer email list.

Ravelry Group

Knitting Pipeline Retreats Group

Events

Knitting Pipeline Spring Retreat March 14-15, 2014

With optional Yarn Crawl and Workshop Fun Day on March 13, 2014.

Details here.

Sleep Inn Reservations:

1101 N Cummings Ln, Washington, IL 61571
(309) 481-0450

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Knitters for Nikki
Heartland Bank and Trust
130 S Main St
Washington IL 61571

Magic Cake Ruffle Shawl KAL will be an informal Knit Along.

Velveteen Rabbit

Little Skein Etsy Shop to purchase kit

Winner is #70 Sharonathemom from Irvine CA!  Congratulations!  Thank you Little Knits!

Nature Notes

Last week I told you that we have been hearing the call of the Great Horned Owl in our woods.  On Dec 17, or actually in the wee hours of Dec 18 I woke up and soon realized that several Great Horned Owls were calling back and forth.  It seemed they were quite close to the house so I got up and walked over to the window to see if I could make out a silhouette in the woods.  The moon was full that night and with the snow reflecting moonlight it was really quite light. Sometimes we think we’ve left on an outside light—it was one of those nights.  I thought I could make out an owl silhouette in a tree near the house but it wasn’t quite the right shape and the branch didn’t seem strong enough to support a large bird.  Then the most amazing thing happened.  The shadow of an owl passed over the snow covered ground right outside the window.  That was almost better than seeing the real owl because all conditions have to be exactly right to see an owl’s shadow in flight.  I remembered the Thornton W Burgess books that I read as a child and how the little Danny Meadow Mouse would narrowly escape the talons of Hooty the Owl.  Danny usually managed to dive into the snow at the last moment with his little heart panting.  Well, most of the time.  Anyway, there are some benefits to insomnia if you look for them.

January 6 2014.  Here in Illinois and throughout the Midwest we are having one of the coldest days in 4 decades.  I’m not sure I believe that but that is what they are telling us.  We had snow during the night on Saturday and throughout the day.  It is a dry snow and has been blowing and drifting.  I did go for a walk this morning and it wasn’t too bad until I got out of the cul de sac and the wind hit me.  Even then it wasn’t that bad because the wind was at my back but I knew that would change. My glasses frosted over and I had to adjust them so I could peer over them to see the road.  I didn’t walk as far as I usually do but it was something.  If you are dressed properly you can go out in weather like this.  All my knitted hats, mittens and cowls are put to good use.

Pileated  Woodpecker 

During this cold weather the birds are very busy at the feeders nearly all day. The Pileated Woodpecker is always fun to see.  One was close to the house a few days ago.  Then yesterday there was one looking for breakfast on one of the trees right outside out bedroom window.

Tree Sparrow sprays show in landing.  Look at his snowy beak!

Pipeliner Note from Galdriel

I’m starting by listening from the beginning so I’m not very far but it is making me interested in doing more things with nature but I don’t know where to start. Do I need a field guide and a spotting scope or a website that would help? For example this time of year there are little black looking birds the swarm around and look like black clouds but I don’t know what they are. If I get close enough I can recognize basic birds like robins, doves, cardinals, blue bird, blue jays, sparrows and humming birds. But I don’t, for example, know if there are different kinds of sparrows or which humming bird is which. I was thinking of making a milk carton bird feeder and just making a new one every month so I can avoid the cleaning :)

1)     Simple resources

Birds and Blooms Magazine

Stokes’ Beginners Guide to Birds by Don and Lillian Stokes

Make sure you get the book for your region.

2)      Phone apps or CD’s with bird calls.

Start with birds you see regularly as you have been doing. The more you notice the more you notice.  DIY feeders are great. You can also just scatter seed on the ground but not if you have outdoor cats. Make a platform feeder out of a tray and hang it from a branch. Birds and Blooms usually has good ideas for diy projects.

3)     Binoculars

4)      Go on bird walks with a guide at your local nature center.

Article Birds and Blooms Dec/Jan 2014: Bird-watching for the Heart and Soul: Learn how a healthy dose of nature can do a lot for your well-being. By Kenn and Kimberly Kaufmann

Kenn Kaufmann Blog

Let us permit nature to have her way. She understands her business better than we do.

Michel de Montaigne

Needle Notes with Book Notes

More Last Minute Gifts by Joelle Hoverson

Pointy Elf Hat on front cover.

Prairiepipers Pointy Elf Hat

Araucania Nature Wool Chunky

Adorable Nephew did not like this hat.

He does like his Barley Hat by Tincanknits.  I made 3 of these total.

With his Papa

 

Matching Barley Hats for Baby and his Daddy

Windschief by Stephen West.  I knitted 3 of them.

Son #2 in Windschief

Ravelry Notes

1)      Tip for organizing on Ravelry:

Tabs for your finished projects as well as your queue. Tab for 2013

2)  Have you noticed how many new patterns are on Ravelry?  It is astounding!  Patterns can get lost in the shuffle.

First Felfs by Cat Bordhi—let’s boost it to the top!

While browsing patterns there are new features.  Heart by patterns that are already in your favorites. Another symbol for patterns in your queue.

Compare feature helps you compare patterns you are looking at.

Product Notes

Bem HL2022B Bluetooth Mobile Speaker for Smartphones

Happy, happy Christmas, that can win us back to the delusions of our childhood days, recall to the old man the pleasures of his youth, and transport the traveler back to his own fireside and quiet home!

Charles Dickens

Haste ye back!