Followed the links to Ravelry, and saw that the woman who made this sweater MADE IT FROM WOOL FROM HER OWN SHEEP. As in: raises the sheep, sheers it, cleans the wool, spins the yarn, dies it with natural ingredients, and then knits up a sweater (with her own design, no less). Just like that. Like a Mighty Pioneer Woman!!!
Damn (can I say that here?), I was impressed. Stuff like that rocks my socks. Inspires me to do more, push my limits. It got me to thinking....I should try to be more self-sustaining. Maybe plant a garden with vegetables for my family to enjoy?
Maybe raise my own animals to eat...how about a little Schnauzer on the grill?
(Just kidding, Bailey, you are safe with me! xoxo)
Maybe raise my own animals to eat...how about a little Schnauzer on the grill?
(Just kidding, Bailey, you are safe with me! xoxo)
What do you think? Could you make it as a pioneer chick? What kind of things are you already doing from scratch for yourself? Tell me all about it.
17 comments:
Wow! I'm not just a little jealous, I'm really really jealous!!!! That woman is amazing!!!
LOL...the look on Bailey's face!! He's so cute =D
One of my favorite shows was Pioneer Quest, filmed in Argyle, MB. We visited the homestead and I had visions of giving up city life and moving to a cabin in the woods. Then the mosquitos attacked and I couldn't find the air conditioning and I was out of there!
That is truly awesome. I'm not sure I could hack it as a pioneer woman. I think I appreciate white sugar a bit too much! I do like to make cheese from scratch, which a lot of people think is impressively self-sufficient. In actuality some cheeses are easier to make than one would think. If you can pour a gallon of milk into a pot and add some lemon juice you can make cheese.
That is so awesome! We are nowhere close to that. :( We cloth diaper and knit my own diaper covers, repurpose adult clothes and linens into things for my daughters, I have made the Christmas toys before, and we have a vegetable garden and hens. I also make my own cleaners and hang things to dry. But, that all seems pretty lame compared to shearing your own sheep!
Apart from growing my own veg not a lot.
Helping to prop up the fabric buying economy...that's a kind of self-help me thinks.
No way! All I had to do was read about laundry day in Our Own Snug Fireside by Jane C. Nylander, and that cured me forever of any pioneering yens I might have had.
I'd say "Damn" about sums it up! (cept said with a southern twang like DAIYUM!) ;) That is pretty much AWESOME for sure!
I've been enjoying your blog, doing a bit of net surfing--while trying to beat the heat. I used to have sheep and spin and knit when my family was young...I still live on a small farm in Tunisia, so sometimes it feels pretty much like being a pioneer, being a city girl from the Pacific NW. It's an adventure everyday!
I really like your sacks, too.
best, nadia
chickens for eggs, our own veggies and fruit but not much more.
When we adopted our daughter in Peru many years ago, I had to hand wash baby clothes. Yuck! That was way too pioneer for me!
Almost lost control of my bladder when I saw the picture of your proposed vegie patch...I'm so glad those rocks have survived.
My Mum used to spin her own will from her own sheep.When they had a farm they were pretty much self sufficient food wise. So maybe my Mum was the original pioneer woman.
I've made my own soap from scratch and do about 99% of my cooking from scratch but honestly with a full time job I don't have time to do anything else. I love the idea of being partially self sufficient though. I could get some chickens and plant some vegies...
Dang! So I assume your to-do list this weekend includes "buy sheep."
I do very little myself. I prefer to support the local economy. :)
This year we're raising our own meat chickens (48) and have a veggie garden. Can't quite make the commitment to get a cow and milk twice a day, though! Did you know that you can't even giveaway raw milk in Canada? It's practically considered a biohazard!
I have to agree with others and say I support the local economy! Every time I've tried to start a garden, I've killed it in a very short time. Plus for the last 4 years I've been either pregnant or nursing a baby and, while Pioneer women of bygone years might have been able to do it, I'm just not capable taking care of babies and raising a garden or anything else! I do a bit of sewing but really nothing worth mentioning! I do more buying than anything else!
I want to start canning next year. That is as close as I will probably come to being a pioneer woman ;)
No I don't think I could make it as a pioneer chick.
I grow a few veggies and keep hens for eggs but that's about it, apart from cooking and baking from scratch.
Oh, holy moly, that is one incredible sweater!! I love finding people that are so devoted to their craft - so inspirational. :)
Love your blog. I don't usually spend this much time picking through posts, but I have really enjoyed your humor and projects (and bits of kids thrown in).
I raise my own Alpacas for wool... I have 10 plus a Llama... I shear them. I would 'like' to get to spinning our own wool... but so far it sits in bags in the shed because that part of things is eeeeeexpensive whether doing it ourselves or sending it to be milled. I'm not sure what the next step is as I'm selling my herd (as much as I just love each of them so much)... time to move... far... far... away. I've been doing the pioneer woman thing... and I just gotta say... I am so flipping tiiiiiiiiiired haha. I am very aware how much easier it would be if I had a husband kicking around. Grow some of our own food, cook it bake it all up and freeze it or can it. I cut my own firewood, block it, split it off my own acreage... uuuuuuuuuugh haha. Used to do the cloth diaper thing and making organic baby food etc. I love doing lots... but theres that point of too much and way in over ones head... esp when it comes with having animals for food or fiber... there is ALWAYS stuff they don't tell you about it... its neeeeeever as easy as they make it seem... or even tell you outright... and if they make it seem easy or cheap... they be lyin! I learned that the hard way... I think tho if I could rewind life and limit my obligations to JUST my Alpacas... and maybe not so many I would really get a kick out of the whole deal... who knows!
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