Chicks Gone Wild

As usual, I went to the barn after work tonight. We have a chicken coop at the ranch that houses about 15 assorted chickens. They're usually let out around 4:30 - 5:00 each evening so that they can ... uhh ... stretch their legs? And since the coop is a short distance from my goat pen there's always a few chickens wandering around to see if I've dropped any grain.

So there I am, walking towards the pen and I hear "shuffle shuffle shuffle." I turn around and about a foot away is a chicken. Not wanting to appear rude, I say "Hello" and then keep walking. "Shuffle shuffle shuffle." I turn around again and there's the same chicken, but this time he gives me "A Look." By now Leland and Stanton are screaming because they can see me so I head off again.

"Shuffle shuffle shuffle." I turn around and the bird LAUNCHES HIMSELF AT ME. He lands on my arm, digs in with his claws and starts flapping his wings and squawking. I can't figure out if I'm being raped or assaulted but I start running around screaming, "OFF, OFF!!!" Finally the damn thing falls off and starts running for the coop.

What the hell? When did we start keeping attack chickens at the ranch? One of the little terriers that runs around the ranch has been catching chickens lately - was this a counter-attack? Am I going to have to start carrying a firearm? I must admit, I was a trifle shaken up. I've never, ever, been attacked by an animal before, let alone a stupid ass chicken. For heaven's sake.

Let us calm ourselves with yarn.

It's Lacevember, right? A celebration of lace and all the wonderful things that go into it's construction. Like say, some pretty laceweight yarn? But of course. This is Jade Sapphire's "Cashmere Silk" in the Caribbean Mist colorway. Like the name says it's 45% cashmere, 55% silk and a whopping 400 yards. Which is a good thing, because all I could afford was one skein. The picture doesn't even come close to doing it justice.

And to go with the lovely yarn, another pair of magic knitting needles.

These are Lauren Hill palmwood needles. I got my first pair of this particular brand back in April when I went on the knitting retreat. I've been a Lauren Hill junkie ever since. They're light, have nice pointy ends for knitting lace, and I dunno ... they just feel good. There also seems to be a very thin coat of varnish on them so the yarn just goes whoooosh.

Now if you'll excuse me, I must tend to my "chicken wounds."