Tiny brown eggs and something sort of french...

The rhode island red hens have begun to lay eggs this week and they are tiny compared to the Easter Egger's eggs!  At least I can tell the reds eggs (brown ones) from the Easter Egger's (greenish).

The hens are about five months old so that's right on time.  The first couple of their eggs we found had been laid out in their enclosure yard but since Thursday which ever one(s) are laying them have discovered the nest boxes because they have all been in there since.  The two flocks are combining well and no one looks like they are being picked on.  

I was looking at knitting patterns on knitty.com (a free source of unique patterns - go look right now.  I will wait.) and found one called Clapotis (french name) by Kate Gilbert.  It is a scarf pattern and I cast on using Malabrigo Silky Merino in Stone Chat (softest, most scooshy stuff ever and knits up so pretty).  I hope to have the scarf finished by the time the weather finally cools here so I can use it :)

A craft project and an over acheiver...

So, just to see if I could make one, and to see what it's like to use them, I found a couple free patterns online for a cloth diaper cover to sew in order to try out using cloth diapers on my 4 month old.  I took a bit of instruction from both to sew the diaper cover I made.  The base pattern came from here which shows how to sew a fitted diaper with absorbent layers built in.  This one is what I used to cut the fabric with, mostly because it used velcro and has little tabs to fold over the clingy edges before it goes through the washer so it doesn't snag on everything.  I didn't want to spend the money on a snap applicator tool if I wasn't going to be making very many of these hence the velcro.  One still needs a waterproof outerlayer over the diaper this pattern makes.  I did not sew in the absorbent layers as I intended to use old fashioned flat cloth diaper squares that need to be folded to fit the baby.  I also visited a craft blog here that shows how to sew the basic cover I was looking for with a waterproof inner layer and a soft outerlayer.  Her design uses snaps to give the covers an adjustible fit which I did not do.  Here is my end result.

It is a bit big through the legs for our baby right now but I put a cloth flat diaper on her with this cover over it to try it out.  She wet in it within five minutes while sitting on my husband.  The good news is it didn't leak and was super cute on her.  Not sure if I want to go through the time and energy to make more but the option is always there.  At least I know I can make them.

Our adult hens went through a very harsh molt last summer and their egg laying slowed significantly through the fall and winter months to the point we were getting about 4 eggs a month.  We normally get between four and six a day.  Well, within the last week they have started to lay again.  Alot.  Somehow, in two days, we got fourteen eggs from six chickens.  Someone is an over-acheiver.