Ahhhh, Aava! (and sometimes goats)
I needed a sock win, friends...and I have it! My first finished pair of 2025 is this sweet, simple pattern: Aava by Heidi Alander (free on Ravelry)
The pattern is knit top-down. Most of it is stockinette, but there is a simple lace pattern that runs down one side of each sock. This is a great pattern if you enjoy lace and are looking to spice up your vanilla sock. I think the pattern shows really well in a tonal, but the original was knit with a speckled yarn, and is also fabulous.
I used Targhee Fingering that I dyed ages ago.
And...that's all I have to say about these socks. They are the "A" in my A-Z sock plan for 2025, and they are delightful.
I do have goat news, though. Remember how I promised this blog would be about socks and "sometimes goats?"
Princess Snugabunch remembers, but this isn't a story about her. She's the same cuddly, trouble-making goat as always. This is news about The Dominator and Buttons - sisters that were born in late November to Ghosty.
They are sweet little goats and lots of fun. A few weeks ago I noticed they were a bit slow and not eating as vigorously as I'd like baby goats to eat, so I started supplementing their hay and nursing with a bottle of milk replacer. Sometimes baby goats really, really hate bottles, and I end up wearing a lot of milk replacer. Fortunately, Buttons and The Dominator loved it.
They now associate humans with delicious milkshakes, and come running to us whenever we're in sight.
They got though the recent bitter coldest days just fine, but there was one day where the air temp was warmer, but the wind chill was brutal. These two littlest ones couldn't keep their bodies warm enough with the wind constantly stealing their heat. They got so chilled that they no longer had motor control for eating. When Bill went out to check on them, they were just standing hunched and when we tried to give them a bottle, they were unable to nurse.
So, we tucked them in our jackets and brought them inside to warm up.
It took most of the afternoon to raise their body temps, but they eventually started eating hay, and drinking milk (and pooping on the dog bed...it's ok. It's thrifted and Pullo doesn't like it anyway. Also, they're baby goats. They can pretty much poop anywhere, and it'd be ok). When we put the animals to bed for the night, we reunited the babies with their mama. We checked on them one last time before we went to sleep, and they were snuggled and cozy.
Someday, I'll take a bunch of photos of how the goats sleep in their little family groups. There are often heads and tails entangled in a very Escheresque pattern of adorableness.
Buttons (staring at us above: see how her nose looks like a button with two holes?), and The Dominator (currently dominating a jacket) have done really well all week. And by that, I mean they are constantly under our feet and jumping on our legs, letting us know they really like bottles and checking to see if it's time to eat.
Bottle babies usually end up being very sweet and friendly goats, and these two goobers are no exception!
Stay warm!!
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