Freedom House or "Lobster Surprise"

Episode 32

1. Production Scheduling
   1. Events
   2. Shipping
   3. Production
   4. What's in my tea pot
   5. Materials Sourcing
   6. After 5
2. Events
   1. Pittsburgh Knit and Crochet Festival http://www.pbbbbghknitandcrochet.com/ February 10, 11, 12 of 2011.
   2. Camp KIP Session #1 will run April 21-24, 2012 The 2nd Annual Camp Kip retreat will be hosted at Cedar Creek Conference Center in New Haven, MO
3. Shipping
   1. Mohawk Hat by Darlene Dale provided free on www.caron.com I did this in Nate's school colors. Not sure if this was as big of a hit as the beard hat was only time will tell... He says he likes it, but he is a teenager.
   2. The Incredible Custom fit Raglan Sweater by Pamela Costello www.woolworks.org/patterns/raglan.html I'm using this pattern B's horse sweater. I finished a sample of the Loopy the Appaloosa Cloth by Rhonda K white.
      1. This one came down to the wire. I did both sleeves in one night.
      2. Ended up finishing the neck with a simple backward crochet edge.
      3. B wears it but the first time he tried it on he yelled “get it off! Get it off!”
   3. Beaded Ornament from 12 Exquisite Beaded Ornaments to Knit published by Leisure arts. In all I finished 6 Ornaments all but one given away as gifts I still have the one made with my first skein of hand spun. I have what I think is Just enough Mohair to make one last ornament for myself.
   4. The Uber Secret Christmas project was of course the pair of socks my mom asked me to knit for her. I used my go to Light Weight sock pattern by Pattons. The leg and heels fir well, foot width is good the toe is about and inch too long. So these will bounce back from shipping into production for next week.
4. Production
   1. Top Down Raglan Baby Sweater by Carole Barenys time to pick up this sweet baby sweater and get some sleeves on it.
   2. Cable Braided Necklace by Olga Buraya-Kefelian this is what I'm using the bulk of my remaining beaded mohair for. The strips are knitted. They need to be blocked before I start the “braiding” process.
   3. To be cast on...
      1. Mittens in Hand spun
      2. The Shape shifter Shrug from Vampire Knits
         1. That's it I have enough of this hand spun. I'll be checking my yardage carefully s and so as not to have another Ruffled and Ruched scarf on my hands.
      3. Holden Shawlette by Mindy Wilkes. I have a Skein of wolmeisse I'm thinking of using for this. But another shawl?
      4. Or Koolhaas by Jared Flood.
      5. I'm Free! No Pressure I can knot what I want!
5. What's in my Tea Pot
   1. Paromi Tea Lemon Ginger
      1. Oolong Tea (Fair Trade & Organic)
         or
         Our oolong is produced in Ambootia, a tea estate in the Darjeeling district.  Nestled in the Himalayas at an altitude of 4000 feet, the gardens of the estate enjoy a unique combination of climate and elevation that contribute to the gentle, flowery aroma of this distinctive oolong.  The addition of zesty Egyptian lemongrass, coupled with the warmth of ginger from Sri Lanka, makes our lively brew one that can be enjoyed throughout the day.
         
         Ingredients: organic oolong tea, organic lemon grass, organic lemon peel, organic ginger, natural flavor.
         
         
         1. Paromi packaged their tea in amber or painted glass. Cracking open the jar in itself was a treat. The ginger lemon Scent is fantastic. I over steeped this a bit so the ginger was string enough to make my lips tingle. This is a well balanced tea the lemon is more of a floral note and is not acidic like the Tazo Berry tea was. This is another good one and I'll be on the look out for more blends from Paromi in the future.
6. Material's Sourcing
   1. Nantucket from Copper pot Woolies. http://www.etsy.com/shop/copperpot is done and plied. I decided it liked the Navajo plied version of this yarn best. I'm hoping to have enough to make the Shape shifter but it's looking doubtful so I'll be calculating up ,y yardage and whop knows maybe another Ruffled And Ruched scarf or another cowl will be in the works. I really love these colors I wish I could have gotten another ball.
   2. Hidden Valley Farm and Woolen Mill (http://www.hiddenvalleyfarmwoolenmill.com) 8 oz of Mary's Lake effect is on the wheel now, I have one bobbin done and the start of the second this fiber is flying! And I love love love these sunset colors!
   3. I got a HUGE bag of fiber from my mom for Christmas in the bag is some more Mohair YAY! And some goodies from Ewenique Fibers in Alliance, Ohio. I also bit the bullet and bought another bat From Copperpot Woolies called toasted coconut which has Cashmere, Bamboo, polwarth, Merino and copper stellina. I may break into that next or I may save it for when I “Suck Less”
7. After 5
   1. Algonquin Spinners a d Weavers Christmas Party
   2. Inventory Bleck!
   3. Freedom House: Project Christmas.
   4. Lobster Suprise.
   5. Christmas Run Down.
   6. Christmas Memory Contest still open until 12/31!

Milk Jug Luminaries or "Peace On Earth"

Episode 31

1. Production Scheduling
   1. Events
   2. Production
   3. What's in my tea pot
   4. Materials Sourcing
   5. After 5
2. Events
   1. Camp KIP Session #1 will run April 21-24, 2012 The 2nd Annual Camp Kip retreat will be hosted at Cedar Creek Conference Center in New Haven, MO Only 4 months and 6 days to go!
   2. Pittsburgh Knit and Crochet Festival http://www.pbbbbghknitandcrochet.com/ February 10, 11, 12 of 2011.
3. Production
   1. Mohawk Hat by Darlene Dale provided free on www.caron.com the crocheting is done all the fringey bits have been attached to the mo-hawk strip and all that’s left to do is attach the strip to the hat. I started to attach it and was having second thoughts about how to go about it. I'm worrying about getting it centered. Finishing really is not my best thing. Perhaps the next class I take should be one on finishing.
   2. The Incredible Custom fit Raglan Sweater y Pamela Costello www.woolworks.org/patterns/raglan.html I'm using this pattern B's horse sweater. I finished a sample of the Loopy the Appaloosa Cloth by Rhonda K white. I've finished the horse detail on the sweater and have the arms on waste yarn. I think it will start to fly now that I can auto pilot and not have to concentrate on the horse pattern.
   3. Uber secret Christmas project: a bit past the 75 % line. Every thing is back on the needles and is running smoothly. Dear Lord I hope this fits it's intended recipient.
   1. What's In My Tea Pot
      1. Honey Bush Vanilla from Adagio Teas
      2. According to the International Ice Cream Association, Vanilla is by far the most popular flavor, getting a full 23% of all ice cream consumption. Inspired by this love, Adagio has created Honey bush Vanilla, combining the rich, warm dark sugar aroma of vanilla with the honeyed aroma and gentle earthy quality of honey bush herb from South Africa. Soft, sweet and very 'beany' vanilla fragrance (like warm sugar cookies made with fresh vanilla beans). Light, airy finish and lingering honey and warmed sugar aroma. A comforting, caffeine free treat.
   2. Material's Sourcing
      1. Finally finished the bobbin of the Nantucket from Copper pot Woolies. http://www.etsy.com/shop/copperpot. A lovely mix of merino and corriedale in peacock colors
      2. Riding in the car today I asked B how his day at school was. He replied it was fine and asked me how may day at school was and I told him “Oh, I had to go to the factory with the big trucks today.” …
   3. After 5
      1. HECTIC... Hockey, Guitar, shopping, Still no tree, wrapping, work, Baking AHHHHH!
      2. I recreated the cookie! I used the cream cheese cookie dough recipe on bdough before hand and kept it in the fridge. In the mean time I soaked a package of dried apricots in apricot randy over night. (Just enough to cover), the next day I rolled out the dough 1/8 of an inch thick and cut it into circles. Place an apricot on each one and folded it over with the apricot sticking out the top, sealed with fork and baked according to the dough recipe. When cool I glazed them with a simple confectioner’s sugar glaze. Confectioner’s Sugar mixed with small amounts of the soaking randy until I liked the consistency. They're gone now so they must have been good!
      3. Gingerbread cupcakes - http://allrecipes.com/recipe/gingerbread-cupcakes-with-cream-cheese-frosting/ YUMMY
      4. Next Up Fudge and Rum Balls
      5. DAR Christmas Meeting.
         1. Hearing what others remember about the holidays.
         2. Candles-
            1. Silent Night
            2. Christmas Eve Luminaries
         3. Contest Prizes!
            1. 20.00 gift certificate to Knit Picks
               bbb
            2. 
               A teapot themed sock project bag and a set of Chiagoo Red Lace needles from Slipped Stitch Studios.
            3. 
               
               A set of Pins and Needles earring and a square bangle from Sassafrass Creations.
            4. 
               A skein of Lorna's Laces Shepard Sock (Large Skein) in Amy's Vintage Office.
         4. Remember contest winner's will be drawn on the 31^st! Right now there's about 14 entries and 4 prizes those are good odds!

Taco's for Santa or "Blessed are the Cheese Makers"

Episode 30

1. Production Scheduling
   1. Production
   2. What's in my teapot
   3. Material's Sourcing
   4. After 5
2. Production
   1. Ruffled and Ruched Scarf by Pam Powers Last week I ran out of yarn for this scarf. I have side B torn back and bound off. Side A is next I had a brain dead moment this weekend and had myself convinced the because of the provisional cast on I wouldn't be a able to tear back side A. Earth the AJ the cast on is in the center!
   2. Christmas Kitting: I think it's finally sunk in that there is only 21 day to Christmas this week. My Christmas knitting has gotten a ton of love.
      1. Mohawk Hat by Darlene Dale provided free on www.caron.com the body of the hat is complete with the ear flaps attached. I have the base of the mohawk strip crocheted and I'm in the process of attaching the fringe which is a pain in the keester. The pattern calls for 6 eight inch strands of the mohawk fringe to be double and pulled though one stitch and fastened by passing the ends through the created loop. That's a ton of yarn to be fitting though one tiny stitch. I'm about a ¼ of the way through and the strip is starting to curl. I'm beginning to second guess myself. I may take a second stab at this step and see if possible adding the fringe in 2 or three rows is better.
      2. The Incredible Custom fit Raglan Sweater y Pamela Costello www.woolworks.org/patterns/raglan.html I'm using this pattern B's horse sweater. I finished a sample of the Loopy the Appaloosa Cloth by Rhonda K white. I used the cloth sample as my gauge swatch to get the stitch counts to enter into the worksheet for the raglan sweater. Even in my semi brain dead state today I was able to get the neck for this sweater cast on. I do not care for how the neck looks on this sweater. I don't mind the dropped front but the edge looks unfinished. I think i when I'm done I'll go back and pick up the neck stitched and put a more finished edge on it.
      3. Uber secret Christmas project. I had a lot of time to devote to this project this week and wouldn't you know it I managed to screw it up. I was out and about town this weekend to it and was knitting on this a lot. SO much in fact I ran about an inch over the point where my pattern shifts to another section. So I had to tear back an inch. And rather than tink back 8-10 rows I pulled it off the needles. Big Mistake! The yarn is really splitty and I'm having a heck of a time getting it back on. SO as of now it's cooling it;s jets until I can find ,my magnifier glasses and get back into the right frame of mind to tackle it. I was almost in tears earlier...
   3. What's in My teapot
      1. Joe's Choice this week is Passion from Tazo tea. A few weeks back Joe suggested that he choose the tea in the tea pot. Which I didn't mind because it makes me try things I wouldn’t normally buy.
         1. So Joe picked passion by Tazo and I asked him “What made you pick this one?” In true Joe style he said “ It says passion on the box. There's nothing bad in this equation for me.”
         2. Tazo Passion Back of the box.
         3. Berry, Juicy, Wine Like, Merlot, Sweet, earthy, and dense.
         4. Pretty good. I don't taste mango, I do taste berry but there is a really sour note. I checked the ingredients and I see there is extra citric acid added. Not a fan of the citric acid but otherwise pretty good.
3. Materials Sourcing
   1. Still working on Nantucket from Copperpot Woolies. http://www.etsy.com/shop/copperpot. A lovely mic of merino and corriedale in peacock colors.
   4. After 5

1. Nate, B and I got the chance to be in an upcoming web series. It won't be out until February or March so I'll post links to it when it comes out. B has a small line he said thank you to a nurse, Nate “puked” in a bucket, ( I was taking B home while his scene was taped so I missed it! I here it was excellent and they got it in one take. I was originally just an extra I was tot to sit in the waiting room and knit. Sweet! That I can do. This is where I over shot on my Christmas knitting I have about 4 hrs of straight knitting time on it. It ended up that I got a line and a short scene where I hep up a man on crutches who gets knocked to the floor.
2. Christmas Cookies. It's that time! Time to dust off the kitchen aid and get baking. I started a thread on the Ravelry board for Christmas cookie recipes. Posted up right now is the recipe for the toffee bars my mom makes and that I hide from the family when they enter the house. :) I also posted that I'm looking for a recipe for a cream cheese dough cookie. I think I found the recipe for the dough on www.bigoven.com. I made a test batch tonight and boy are they bland! They defiantly need the brandy glaze. But the dough may be right... Worth more testing. Feel free to share any holiday recipes in the cookie thread.
3. Christmas memories Contest is still running winners will be drawn on 12/31/11 the video cast will be more of a post holiday round up which will give me time to focus on the family and still get everything together for prizes and all the things necessary for me to go video. bThere are some really great memories up on the thread one or two had me looking for my Kleenex. Keep those memories coming!
   1. So In that vein another holiday memory. Christmas at the photo studio.
   2. Tacos for Santa.
4. Knit group today was Sunday brunch with the Knit group. I was able to finish my Loopy the Appaloosa swatch during Knit group. My winning Mojo was back in effect and I won a door prize! Woohoo a crochet a day calendar. No sooner did I open my calendar I reach over to grab ,my coffee and the cup smooshed in on it self a bit and I spilled my coffee all over my leg and down the project back of the lady sitting next to me. T Once again I humiliate myself in public. I carried sippy cups in my bag for years for B until just recently maybe it's time to start carrying one for myself.

Getting off my Duff or “Return of the Bride”

Episode 29: Getting off my Duff or “Return of the Bride”

I Production Scheduling

1. Production
2. What's in my Tea Pot
3. Materials Sourcing
4. After 5

II Production

1. Ruffled and Ruched Scarf by Pam Powers
   1. All of the errors from week before last have been fixed. That was the easiest thing I did these 2 weeks week! Go figure... It's official. I ran out of yarn. I had thought that I could tink back the ¼ of the row I was on and had enough yardage to bind off and then switch back to side A tear out the bind off and frog back a few rows so that the ruffles match. With any luck that will give me enough yarn to finish the flower. (And if that turns out... I'm buying a lottery ticket!) Right now this is cooling it's heels in time out. Tearing back the row I was on didn't give me enough to bind off side B. So Now I have to tear back out the binding on side B and one more row and then attempt to bind off side B again. But that's only the 1^st problem. While I was contemplating my plan of attack I unscrewed the needles and tried the scarf on with it on the cables and that old concern of “structural integrity” came up again. The scarf is very squishy and soft and doesn't hold it's shape like I was hoping it would. Which puts me into the mind that I should frog this and buy a more suitable yarn for this project.
2. Top Down Raglan Baby Sweater by Carole Barenys the body is done, ribbing and all. I started on the first sleeve and even though I'm using the same gauge needle as I did for the body the tension on the sleeve looks tighter. I think this is because I have tighter tension when knitting in the round than when I'm knitting flat. I tend to pull tighter on my working yarn in the round to avoid ladders at the needle changes. I'm about and inch in on the 1st sleeve and I'm just not happy with how this is working out. I've contemplated this one for the better part of the week and I've decided to tear back the sleeve and trade up to the next size needle and see how that works out. This is one of the advantage to knitting for tiny people it's not such a big deal to fail and tear something out and try again. :) I still like this pattern it reads more like a recipe that I can switch things in and out of. The second issue with this project is that the tiny human in question made his debut 5 weeks early. Ah well... I'll press on and give it to mommy when she comes back from her leave..

3. Christmas Knitting: 27 days til Christmas. Week before last I got zero Christmas Knitting done. We'll get into the why's of that in after 5. This week the duper secret Christmas knitting is still hanging this week . Ornaments accomplished i= 0 The Mohawk Hat is on my hook. I hope this hat improves quickly because right now it looks like and eraser head or a Fez. I'm still working on the length of the hat as it's constructed top down. If this turns out truly awful I'll make a standard beanie and add ear flaps and the Mohawk strip...we shall see.

III What's in My Tea Pot

1. Dragon Pears Green tea from east of Eden Tea Company

1. Very Pale almost the color of ginger ale
2. 1^st pot very weak. Can taste a vanilla not wondering if perhaps I used too much water in the steeper.
3. Can Steep buds up to three times.

IV Materials Sourcing

1.) Still Spinning the Jacob but I've gotten a bit bored with it so as a special treat to myself I swapped bobbins and started spinning The Nantucket fiber from copper pot woolies.http://www.etsy.com/shop/copperpot. It's a merino and corriedale mix and it practicaly spins itself. Getting away from the wheel was pretty hard...

V After 5

1. I love having time off for the holidays but sometimes the price I pay for that time just doesn't seem worth it. So after 5 has pretty much turned into after 6 this week.
2. Hockey leader ship dinner was Tuesday which was a surprisingly nice evening. The coach invited past players that are now very successful to talk to the boys about how hockey influenced their lives. But the real star of the show was Scott Hamilton. No not that Scott Hamilton... Mr Hamilton is the father or Adam Hamilton who was killed this may while serving in Afghanistan http://kent.patch.com/articles/friends-remember-adam-hamiltons-work-ethic-playful-antics Adam was also a hockey player who graduated from my son's school in 2007 ( a bit too early for Nate to have known him personally.) Mr Hamilton stood and talked to the boys about team work and why Adam served. In the end Adam was there for the man on the right and the man on the left. This of course was brought around neatly to hockey but there wasn't a dry eye in the house. If you'd like to know more about Adam Hamilton I have a link in the show notes to a news story done my Kent.patch.com.
3. The bride returneth... we had a house guest last week as well. I got my friend the bride out of the house and she spent Wednesday night with us and got to see her 1^st high school hockey game. It's really hard to knit with guests in the house. I feel like I have to entertain her and I feel really self conscious if I'm zoned out in my knits and purls.
4. The holiday rush at work has been in full swing. We've crunched 5 days of production into 3. Ahhhhhhh! Even though the shop is busy I'm starting to have to cancel trucks to far flung areas. So there has been a lot people shooting the messenger this week.
5. Thanksgiving went fabulously well. Last year I mis read my Stuffing recipe and added way to much salt. I also usually double the stuffing recipe and end up throwing out a ton of stuffing this year I cut it in half and avoided the salt. My turkey did finish about and hour early but was nicely rested and still piping hot when my mom got their to carve it. I can't carve a turkey and prefer not to hack it up. :) My pies turned out well and everything was eaten and I haven't heard any complaints...:) Even from Joe... So I'll chalk it up as a success. In honor of thanksgiving I'll be posting the recipe for Cranberry Duff on the show notes page. I make this a few times every fall for as long as I can find fresh cranberries in the supermarket. It's on of Joe's favorites and I took it to this month's DAR meeting to rave reviews. Seriously I'm tempting fate with the baking for them. I'm going to hit the wall and when I do I have a feeling that I'm going to hit it HARD. http://www.marthastewart.com/319188/new-england-cranberry-duff this recipe is from Martha Stewart I always use the entire bag of cranberries and double the recipe and it fits nicely in my 9X9 corell-ware pan. The cranberries are acidic so be sure to use a glass dish.
6. We spent this long weekend bumming around the house. B went to grandma's house, Nate went to his dad's and had hockey. So Joe and I made the best of a good thing and went to the movies and bummed around the house. What we didn't know was the while B was in the clutches of my in laws they were spoiling him rotten and he saw Santa not once but 3 times. When I was kid we saw Santa once and we waited for that big day. Some years mom would cal us off of school and we'd ride the Rapid (Cleveland's version of the subway) into downtown. Cleveland. In the early years we went to Higbee's to see Mr Jingaling's workshop http://www.mrjingeling.com/, The line for Santa always seemed to lead through Mr Jingaling's workshop, visit Santa, and then shop at the Twigbee ship in Higbee's where were were assisted in Christmas shopping by elves. Sometimes there would be lunch at Higbee's silver grille where fried chicken kid's meals were served in cardboard stoves for girls and I think we got a Higbee's semi truck one year http://www.ritzcarlton.com/en/Properties/Cleveland/Meetings/RoomDetails/10thFlooroftheadjacentHigbeeBuildingatTowerCityCenter/TheSilverGrille.htm . Then we always would check out the animatronic holiday displays in the windows ion public square. There was no visiting Santa every time you were at the mall or every time you saw him. So there will be a discussion... that or we'll hide and dodge phone calls until Joe and I can make it as special for B as it was for us growing up.

Cincinnati (Skyline) Chili Recipe

There's no chocolate in this recipe that may be a Skyline chili secret but this looks like a pretty good place to start!

http://www.saveur.com/article/Recipes/Cincinnati-Chili

Pie Fight or "Sage Advice"

Episode 28

I Production Scheduling

1. Production
2. What's in my Tea Pot
3. QC Inspection
4. Materials Sourcing
5. After 5
   II Production
   1. Ruffled and Ruched Scarf by Pam Powers
   1. Side A misdone and the provisional cast on has been unraveled and Side B has begun. It's gonna be a close call with the yarn on this. Which is really heart breaking because I really love it. The color is lovely and it's soft and squooshy. I am a bit worried that the yarn isn't stiff enough to make the scarf stand up like it does on the dress form in the photo's. Yardage is also going to be a close call. At this point I think I've given up on the flower being knit out of the same yarn. I've been mentally going through my stash thinking if there is something in a coordinating color to make the flower out of. I'm thinking that one of the copper pot woolies colors may e a good match. I have one more row of increases before the ruffle repeats for length.
   2. Top Down Raglan Baby Sweater by Carole Barenys - or AKA guilt knitting. This is a cute and simple baby cardigan. I spent some time surfing through ravelry looking for a quick knit that would fit the yarn I had picked up at Micheal’s Loops and Threads Snuggly Wuggly in daffodil dots. This cardigan is worked from the top down and has a seam detail worked in purl stitches. I've finished the raglan increases and have work to about an inch below the arm separation. So far so good. It looks adorable. 2 more button holes and the ribbing to work and then I get to decide if I'm knitting a hat to go with.
   3. Christmas Knitting : 41 days til Christmas Super Secret Christmas project 55% done. No forward momentum on the Christmas ornaments this week. Loopy Appaloosa sweat not yet cast on. Pattern for a new Nate hat found via the ladies at day care. They found a free Crocheted Mohawk hat that I'll be modding to be in Nate's School colors. (red, Black, and White.) Still Struggling to not add anything additional.
   III What's in my Tea Pot
   1. Yogi Tea Bedtime Organic

IV QC Inspection

1. Ruffled and Ruched Scarf by Pam Powers I was working on this last night feverishly with the aim to either run out of yarn or finish it. Somehow I got off on the rib patter and I have a few ribs in the ruffles that have purl stitch in them. I didn't have a crochet hook handy and it was once again my magical QC hour of Midnight to 1AM so I put it down and I have yet to pick it up again today. I don;t foresee any problems with just dropping down reversing the stitch and hooking back up but it always seems that my est laid plans are the ones that never workout the way they should. I'm really hoping that Murphy's law doesn't kick in ( I really think I may have been Murphy in a past life...) and I run into trouble fixing the errors and then having the all fixed run out of yarn. Knock on Wood!

V Materials Sourcing

1. Still on the wheel is the 4 oz of Jacob from the Ann Arbor fiber expo. I'm finding more and ,ore veg matter and pulling it out of the roving as I go. I'm really happy with the colors and the spring the singles have. I'm thinking this will hake a lovely hat for my self. :)
2. I stopped into Stitch piece and Purl last weekend to finally pick up another skein o Ultra Alpaca to finish off my brea bag. When I was in there I saw Interweave's Knit and Spin magazine on display and picked it up. I get daily emails from interweave and I had been wanting this magazine for a while also on the “to Buy” list is the Jane Austen Knits magazine... <insert Austen fangirl Squee's>
   1. Abby Franquemont demystifies Roving, Top and Sliver and the differences between. Most of this article are things I knew. She did touch on silk hankies and the exact mechanics of Puni vs rolag. Plus I love Abby! (Abby's tag line puts her in Ohio???? I thought she was in Michigan! Trying not to sound stalkerish)
   2. All kinds of general info articles in the front everything from wool washing, to choosing a first wheel, to selecting the correct whorl for plying.
   3. The reason I bought this was for the fleece lined mitten pattern by Rita Buchannon. Though I think I may have been better off buying the thrummed mitten kit from Knitpicks. I know have the know how to make the fleece lined mittens but the kit would give me essentially a pair of mitten for the same price. I know picky, Picky.

4. Reasons I'm really happy I bought this...

l. Lace cuff Mohair Mittens by Carol Huebscher Rhoades

a. I need a pair of these! They look so soft an fuzzy and I love the way the tops come to a point in the center. It's not a full on triangle wedge but more organic and reminiscent of the curve found on onion domes. (think St Petersburg, Russia)

b. Three Rib Beret's by Jacqueline Fee especially the She Knit a Raspberry Beret variation. A cute beret pattern to have in one's back pocket.

c. Priscilla Gibson-Roberts short row heel method Which is printed as an except of Priscilla's dream socks. I always like new ways to turn heels and decrease toes. I have my favorite but who knows I may find a new one I like better. This one should make an hour glass shape and should be gap-less. Should be worth a try on my next pair of socks.

d. The Baby Bunny Sweaters by Linda Loeffelholz I may not make the whole sweater but the charts for the adorable bunnies will definitely make their way onto something. I have a few bunny lovers on my gift lists (Not Christmas! Definitely not Christmas!) I know these will be appreciated as an embellishment for a hat or a bit of whimsy on a scarf,

VI After 5

1. Hockey season is in full swing. I seem to have forgotten how much time hockey eats up out of the schedule. I've also forgotten how much time the boosters try to get the parents to donate. Team dinners, fund-raising, volunteering for chuck a puck and heaven know what else. <URGH> I hope once we get past the beginning of the year insanity that things will settle down. I had brought my Super Secret Christmas project with me because I had dropped of Nate about an hour before the game. (There's a lot of equipment that has to be put on and they run before they get dressed.) I thought I had time to work and the Booster's thought otherwise and I was drug into a fund raising meeting. <Sigh>
2. This past Friday Was veterans day so I've been watching the history channels series on the Revolution on Net flix. My inner revolution / history geek is really enjoying this and Joe is enjoying that I've en watching it on the laptop with headphones on so he can remain blissfully ignorant and watch what he wants. Maybe it just hadn't sunk in in my past geekery but I found it especially fascinating that Washington’s command was questioned for so long. In popular history they really don’t mention that sort of thing. If you're a veteran or love one be sure to tell them “Thank You” for their service from me.
3. Thanksgiving is two weeks away and I'll be spend the next few days getting my shopping list together so that I won't have a 4^th container of sage in my spice cabinet. Hopefully this year I'll be ahead of the game and won't be running around like a maniac on Thanksgiving morning and instead will be watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade in my PJ's with my Boys.

Episode 26 Double Bubble or “Mulling it over”

Episode 26 Double Bubble or “Mulling it over”



1. Production Scheduling

a. Production

b. What’s in my Tea Pot?

c. Shipping

d. Material Sourcing

e. After 5

2. Production

a. Christmas Knitting :54 days till Christmas mystery gift is 40% done ornaments complete 1 of 18.

i. I keep havig thoughts of adding to my holiday knitting. Red Heart has a 12 weeks of crafting email that has been coming to my inbox and each week I think “oh I should make that…” I need to sit down and make a realistic list. I think my one project and my ornaments are doable. If I keep things simple I could add a few more hand made gifts but I need to make sure they will be appreciated. Was my SIL serious when she said I should make ruffled scarves for christmas??? I could make a fish hat for the guitar teacher…. Or is it the year of the sweater for the boys? I know I have enough time to transform the Loopy the Appaloosa dishcloth pattern into a raglan sweater for B. But, a large sweater project for Nate may be a bit over committing myself. (Visions of the unfinished gilli suit are haunting me.)

b.Swatching: Since I broke the bank in AA I’ll be stash knitting for a while.My method of stash knitting usually starts with a trip to ravelry to search for patterns that require the weight and yardage I have. I noticed that my stash is running pretty high in sock yarn these days.  But what I really want to cast on is the ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­Ruffled and Ruched Scarf By Pam Powers  but I don't have enough yadarge.L I found this pattern while drooling yet again over the Cowgirl Cowl.  The picture of the Ruffled and Ruched scarf make a gorgeous silouette on the dress form.  I’m praying it looks just as gorgeous on me!  Plus the added flower goes on a pin to act as a closure and I could see stealing it to add to other pieces to a bit of panache.

i.The Holden Shawlette By Mindy Wilkes

1.I saw this pattern while browsing through ravelery and queued it.  Then through #knitchat I heard there was a KAL for this through another podcast (who I would mention if I remembered who it was!).  This is a total ME TOO! Knit.

ii.Koolhaas By Jared Flood

1 I have one skein of gorgeously dyed Aran weight Courtesy of Knitting in the Red (Check out Jana on Etsy)  It’s either going to become Koolhause or the Snapdragon Tam by Ysolde Teague.  I’m waffling…  The yarn is has some variegation and Snapdragon has so much going on I think I may prefer a something a bit more solid for that.  Don’t get me wrong though the Koolhaas has plenty going on I just think the more architectural  pattern would lend itself better to varigation than Ysolde’s more organic twists and cables.

iii.The Cowgirl Cowl by Pam Powers

1.I love the tassel.The tassel is the entire draw for me. Now that we got that out of the way I like the buttons to but the pics without the tassel I’m little “meh…”add the tassel and I’m stash diving looking for the perfect yarn.I’m mourning my lack of worsted weight. :P

3.What’s In My tea Pot

a.It’s fall and one of my absolute favorite things about fall is Hot Apple Cider. More importantly Hot Apple Cider the way my Mom Makes it.  I think the original copy of the recipe came from a now closed farmers market on the west side of Cleveland called Danny Boys.I did some searching on the internet and found almost the same recipe online at http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,183,154164-237203,00.html The recipe calls for:

1/2 gallon of apple cider
a 1 inch knob of fresh ginger
1 whole lemon, cut in quarters
1 whole orange, cut in quarters
1 or 2 (2") cinnamon sticks
pinch of allspice (optional)
5 whole cloves

I do not use the ginger. My mom sometimes does not use the lemon. Cooks.com makes their cider on the stove top in a non aluminum pan. In our houses we make it in the crock pot. I put the cloves in the oranges an toss everything into the pot swishing it around a bit to mix in the allspice if I’ve used it that day. I keep it on High until it hot and then turn it down to Keep warm.  I’ll keep the pot going all day until I run out of cider. I do recommend not letting the lemons sit in the pot enire time. When the pot gets low the lemon bitterness of the lemon rind starts to come through. The oranges are sweet enough to leave in. There’s just something about coming in out of the chilly October air to the smell of hot mulled cider (You can even ditch you Airwick!). It’s one of my very favorite things (would be on my Death Row last meal request…) Halloween just isn’t Halloween with out it! (Well really Fall isn’t fall… cause my local orchard is still selling cider…..)

4 Shipping

a.It’s been a while but there’s finally something in shipping. The I Heart Lace Shawl By Inese Andzane is done and blocking as I speak. I had a few foibles on this pattern. They were my own issues.  One was me trying to warch TV and knit at the same time…. The other was pushing to get “just one More row”. It was my standard hour for screw ups… Midnight – 1 AM and I wanted to finish the purl row so I could start fresh on a pattern row the next day. I was talking to Joe and by some freakish slip or spasm the dropped the last 10-15 completed stitched fell off the right hand needle.ACK! I thought I had gotten them back on correctly but alas when I completed the 1^st half of the pattern row I had the wrong number of stitches. I tinked back to make sure it wasn’t a AJ is watching TV and not counting stitches problem to no avail and thus after sleeping on it… tore back to the second lifeline. Which wasn’t so bad as I only lost 4 rows. Things I liked: The Back Seam Detail and the chart was EASY to read. One fiddly thing I wished was there…. I was not having an “Intelligent” day when I started the chart section. It took me a good half an hour to figure out that the entire center section was the lace repeat. Yes I know that was incredible air headed of me. I’m not proud… but we’re all friends here so I will be honest. This pattern is recommended for BEGINNER lace knitters (I checked the Ravelry group….). Knitters who may or may not have been exposed to charts before.  I think a little out line in Red and an * denoting the lace repeat wouldn’t be out of line. Especially if it helps me look less inept. J

5. Material Sourcing

a. I had set a mental goal for myself to finish the Cauldron Knitty and Color Bat by Halloween. Soooo Close! I finished the spinnig on the 30^th and have it half plied. I’m hoping to finish that off ASAP and get it finished and posted as my second entry for the Autumn Jumble SAL. I plan on naming it Toil and Trouble because I always get the Shakespeare quote wrong on think it’s Double Bubble Toil and Trouble when it’s “Double, double toil and trouble;
Fire burn, and caldron bubble.” I thought that Double Bubble implied pink like bubble fum and not the Witchy Cauldron colors I had… If you’re interested in the full context from Macbeth it’s linke to on the show notes page. http://www.potw.org/archive/potw283.html

b.Sooooo many goodies to spin…. I’m not sure what I’ll grab next Thinking right now It will probably be the one of the balls of coopworth or one of the merino’s from Copperpot Woolies.  Of course there is the angora……

6. After 5

a. So where the heck have I been this week.

i.6th wedding anniversary dinner at the melting pot.

ii. Joe has been home for a long weekend.

iii. Kent Halloween on 10/30

1. 4 Stinking houses?

2. The body suit Lumberjack hat combo.

iv. Real Halloween at my parents on 10:31

1. Skyline Chili

2. B does another 4 houses with Daddy and then Grandma saves the day!

v.Creeping crud?

vi.So busy I forgot about #knitchat!

b. Joe’s knitting Update.

i. Slow progress

ii. He’s somehow splitting the cotton yarn and then increasing by Knitting the split. I’ve fixed this twice

iii. We’re at the point where things are going to get interesting in the pattern stitch.  This is where we find out if he’s really interested in learning or if he bails when it get’s complicated. Cross your fingers!

c. Winner! My Lumberjack Hat for Nate won the Cuyohoga Falls Knit and Hook Group’s Winter Creativity contes. It was up against from still competition from a “Garter” Snake Scarf (Done in garter stitch no less!) Woohoo! I knew I had a hit on my hands when the teenager wore it constantly but it’s always nice to get the thumbs up from your peers.

Coopworth! or "Toothfairy Trapping!"

Episode 25

I. Production Scheduling

1. Events

   1. 

      B has to sit on Joe's shoulders to get eye level with Humphrey.

      

      Petting the Angora Rabbit.

      Ann Arbor Fiber Expo! This show was a it smaller than I expected but it was totally worth the drive out. There were a ton of vendors crammed into three barns. We got there about 10:00 AM and we had plenty of time to canvas the barns and to see what was there before the crush of people came. There were all sorts of yarn vendors but I was really wasn’t feeling the yarn <Gasp> I was there for the fiber! So My first run through the barns I made a mental not of everything I was interested in. Which was mostly roving but I saw a few fleece that I was thinking about and I was also in the market for a real nostepinne so I can retire my Q hook. The first pass took a bit longer than I thought because an the last barn they had some adorable French Angora Rabbits. I would love to have one and living in suburbia this is the only fiber animal I'll be able to keep. (unless I can manage to buy out my neighbors I need and acre of land per sheep...) I stood and chatted with the breeder for 10or 15 minutes gathering rabbit information. I felt too guilty that the poor rabbit would have to endure a 3 hr car ride to buy him. After the rabbit we found a camel named Humphrey. Humphrey was extremely friendly and really likes kids. I have a picture of B, Humphrey and Joe that will be up on the show notes page. Humphrey's owners were selling camel and Jacob fiber as well. I had no idea camel was so soft. I had been previously squishing everything in sight critically and was pleasantly surprised when I squished the camel. After we had seen everything the boys and I headed for the food stand to grab a snack and plot our attack, which was almost my undoing! (BTW the fries here were awesome hand cut and yummy, the polish sausage was decent fair quality, but the funnel cake was sadly over cooked and crumbly) While I was planning my strategy the masses were descending! ACK! I left B and Joe to continue munching and I headed back to the vendors without them to slow me down. Stop 1:Yarn Hollow ( www.yarnhollow.com) where I bought 4oz of Merino Super wash and Tencel in the Galaxy colorway I'm a sucker for jewel tones. The tencel in this roving makes the burgundy's and blue's shine like silk. This was a pretty popular shop and it was hard to get to the braid I wanted though to the braid I wanted through the other shoppers. Stop 2: and where I realized I should have been buying as I went.... Copperpot Woolies. (www.copperpot.etsy.com) Some of the best colors I saw at the expo. Really nice ladies and a great sale. Their fibers were selling quickly and by 11:00 their back shelves were almost empty. I bought 4.3 oz of merino in O Oak, 4.3 oz of Merino, corriedale with Icicle in Hollyberry, 6.8 oz Merino / Corriedale in Nantucket, 4.1oz of merino in cotton candy. Here's where I started to feel my inner penny pincher start to complain... So I headed back to the Camel and Renee Mickam Hairy Camel – Camel Hair Crafts where I picked up 4 oz of Humphrey and 8 oz of Jacob roving for a steal of a deal. I had to ask her if she got the math right and I still think I got the better end of things. At this point I thought I was done and I was headed tot he door. I met up with Joe and B and we were headed out when I saw the angora. I've been regretting not picking up angora at the peninsula fiber fling. So when I saw that Jelly Beans Farms had angora fiber and it was from one of the bunnies we were petting in the barn by the camel I snapped up .8 oz of Carlysle the bunny. I really thought I was out the door this time but as I turn to follow Joe and B Melissa who we were staying with and who had to take her rabbit (non Angora) to the vet came walking in. So Joe went off to hang out in the picnic area and Melissa B and I did the show again. Where I ended up finding Coopworth which I've been wanting for a while. I bought my Coopworth at Hidden Valley Farm and Woolen Mill (http://www.hiddenvalleyfarmwoolenmill.com) I got 8 oz of Peacock and 8 oz of Mary's Lake effect. Whooo! I have officially out grown my fiber storage. It's now a good thing I acquired a huge footlocker size Rubbermaid container when I thought that impromptu crochet course. I now need it for storage. I did made sure to wear smething hand knit so I wore my summerflies shawl and it got several compliments and a few pets as well which was a new experience. b The rest of the trip was really nice. Nate got to see his dad. Joe, Melissa, B and I had dinner at Palm palace (http://www.palmpalace.com) where the bread is made fresh and is to die for! We get the the chefs sampler and never ever pass by desert the chocolate cake is phenomenal with layers of dark chocolate mousse. Mmmmmmm... The next morning we had breakfast at Zingermann's ( http://zingermansdeli.com) followed by cheese shopping yummmy and a new treat called a meat cone which turned out to be and assortment of cured meats, a few slices of pate', and two cornishons. We at that in the car on the way Greenfield village. With such a full weekend we were pretty wiped out on Sunday as we drove home but there was the one stop that Joe was most looking forward to Beef Jerky Unlimited in Luna Pier, Mi. If you';re on I-80 by Toledo and you see the sign that says Beef Jerky Unlimited “We're not a Gas station!” stop in it's worth it! Joe's favorite is the honey BBQ pork jerky. Which is pretty much a cured pork chop with BBQ sauce.
   2. Camp KIP April 21-24 2012 at the Cedar Creek Conference center in New Haven, Missouri
2. Production
3. After 5

II Production

1. Holiday Knitting – we're at 35% with 61 days til Christmas. With all the hullabaloo involved with a family trip I haven't made it back to the ornaments.
2. I heart lace by Inese Andzane knitted out of Cascade Heritage silk in color 5637 which is a peacock blue. Last week this shawl was in QC. This week I'm back on track. I'm currently 4 rows past where the previous problem was with another life line in. This puts me past the half way point in the lace chart and hopefully it will be a nice downhill coast.

III What's In My Tea Pot

1. Bengal Spice® Herbal Tea - "Brimming with cinnamon, ginger, cardamom and cloves, a cup of our aromatic Bengal Spice tea is like a trip to an exotic spice market in a faraway land. This adventurous blend is our caffeine-free interpretation of Chai, a piquant Indian brew traditionally made with black tea. Try Bengal Spice with milk and sugar for a true Chai experience."

1. Melissa gave me a recipe to make this tea bag into Coconut Chai. To do this you take 2/3 coconut milk, 1/3 water and 1 Celestial Seasons Bengal Spice tea bag per cup heat the liquid ingredients and then steep the bags in the liquid. Melissa prefers to use unsweetened coconut milk I prefer the sweetened.

IV After 5

1. 

   "Oh I wish I were an Oscar Meyer Weiner...."

   B lost his 1^st tooth. I'm not sure how I feel about this. Personally I thought he was too little for this. But we've called the pediatrician and the dentist and they say it's possible and not at all unheard of. I looked at the tooth and it doesn't look damaged. I think My issue is that he's my baby and he looks too little to be missing a tooth. He freaked out a bit when it happened (of course we were in the parking lot of the Henry Ford...) But he was quickly reassured when his daddy, miss Melissa,mommy, and even Nate's daddy all reassured him that this was normal and it meant he was getting to be a bigger boy. He did not however want to sleep with the tooth under his pillow. He thought that was like sleeping on a bone and that was scary. So we put it on the corner of his dresser. This morning when he went to look at his tooth Joe tells me that he yelled “Dada! It's a miracle my tooth turned into a dollar.!” We'll have to work on the whole tooth fairy thing. Though I have to say that this tooth fairy experience is so much more preferable than one I had with Nate. Nate decided he was going to attempt to trap the tooth fair and so when I went to creep into his room to put the money under his pillow he had bungee cords and strings clanking cans strung from them so that I had to thread my way though the room mission impossible style avoiding all the strings.
2. B has also figured out that daddy can be easily swayed into buying treats as the grocery store. As they were walking down the fruit snack aisle B saw the fruit leather and went into begging mode. When daddy gave in he grabbed a second box and said “we'll just get 2...” and popped it into the cart. I can't believe it worked! I hope that trick works for mommy the next time she's in the yarn store and daddy is paying!

.

One more day

Episode 25 is recorded but will e edited on posted on Tuesday.  Sorry for the delay!

Oh Martha! or "You're Fired!"

Episode 24

I Production Scheduling

1. Events

1. Ann Arbor Fiber Expo or the Fuzzy Fair as Melissa has taken to calling it...October 22 and 23^rd at the Washtenaw Farm Council Grounds.
2. Camp KIP April 21-24 2012 at the Cedar Creek Conference center in New Haven, Missouri
1. Production
2. QC Inspection
3. What's in My Tea Pot
4. Materials Sourcing
5. After 5

II Production / QC

1. Holiday Knitting – Holiday knitting is under way and uneventful. I wish I could talk more about it but I know this person listens... :)
2. I heart lace by Inese Andzane knitted out of Cascade Heritage silk in color 5637 which is a peacock blue. I made it to the chart! I thought I would e able to finish this week but I ended up a stitch off on the 6^th pattern row and wound up in QC.

III QC Inspection

1. So down to the meat of the problem. What went wrong. Initially I think I got distracted early on into the row. When I got to the center stitch I saw I was one stitch off. At that point I checked the clock and saw it was late and put it down for the night. The next day I tinked back to where I thought I had made the error and went forward again. I was still one stitch off. So I put it down again to work on something else not wanting to do anything rash. The next day I counted my stitches wondering if I had dropped one somewhere a long the line. The count came out right. So it had to be a mistake I made in the pattern. Tink tink tink back again this time to the beginning of the row because I never found the mistake and during that tink I dropped a stitch un knitting a slip 1 knit 2 tog psso. <grumble> Luckily I had put in a life line before I started the lace rows. It's back on the needles now. I took the chance to switch to my pointier lace needles. I had originally cast this on my addi circs I wasn't happy with these needles so when I put the project back on the needles I switched to my pointier lace needles. Sacrificing smooth joins for pointier tips. You can't have everything... after all where would you put it.

IV What's in my Tea Pot

1. LIPTON Bavarian Wild Berry Tea Sweet and indulgent, Lipton Bavarian Wild Berry Tea tantalizes the senses with its vibrant flavor and robust aroma. This bright berry taste is great at any time of day.
2. Another one from walmart... this one is yummy as well. According to the box there are chunks of apple, Blueberry, Blackberry, and Black Currant. I taste the berry and I see the red “berry stain” on the bag. Pretty impressive for a tea bag. I like this one just a bit less than the Vanilla truffle one. Same advice applies. Double bag if you;re like me and love a mug you can do the backstroke across.

V Materials Sourcing

1. I finished the 1^st bobbin and ½ the bat of the knitty and color bat. The angelina in that bat gets everywhere I've been finding strands of sparkly purple stuff everywhere! On me, on my other knitting, on the dog... I was sitting in the production scheduling meeting at work and found a peice on my blouse and I hadn't even touched any thing knitting / fiber related that day.
2. The Mohair kid has been plied with the thread and the beads. It took me 2 days to sting all of the beads. I had wanted to use the floss threader trick but I bought the wrong stuff. When I went to the drug store I didn't see the clear bag with the floss threaders. But I saw a box of super floss. Reading the outside of the box I thought I had the right thing. Getting home and opening the box... boy was I wrong. I managed to find a needle that worked. I'm really happy with the skein. The thread and the beads sparkle in the light but don't jump out and and scream at me., At the moment it still needs a bath before I can turn it into Christmas ornaments.

VI After 5

1. Friday B went to his grandma's house and for some odd reason Nate's dad drove in from Detroit. Which gave me what I thought was going to be a night off. When I realized I had the evening to my self I started checking the knitting group site to see if there were any Friday night gatherings. No dice... Next I checked the LYS' in town to see if anyone had a knitting group I could drop in on. Every one of them closed at 5 except for the one in Medina which is 40 miles away and requires you to knit with yarn bought from the store. I get it. I realize you should spend some money if you plan on hanging out for 3 hrs. But it was a 40 minute drive and I wanted to work on my projects and not buy something to cast on to hang out with people I don't know. After much thought I figured I'd hit up Jo Anne fabrics to cruise the store maybe pick up some polar fleece for Joe's Halloween costume and just hang out with the crafty goodness. I ran into a display of the new Martha Stewart yarn. I am a huge fan of Martha. Martha is my hero, I want to be Martha when I grow up. But I was not impressed with the yarn. The super chunky Mambo is just bizarre. It's encased with some kind of mesh. As the mesh was white and did no t match the color of the yarn inside I was confused about whether or not I was meant to remove the mesh. I did see a funky necklace thing made of it on display and they left the casing on. I checked the Lion rand website and they show it on as well. Just not my cup of tea. I did like the bulky lofty wool blend Super bulky but at almost 12.00 a skein for 28 yds... I'll save my money. After my run in with the Martha Stewart yarn I was pretty much depressed and I left Joanne’s without buying anything! Which is totally no tin character for me. I should have known my night was shot at that point because when I got back Nate was playing video games in the living room. His dad had been held up in Detroit and wasn't going to make it until Saturday morning, So much for Mom's night off. As an aside how pathetic is it that on my big night off I went to a craft store and then home. When I have the children home with me I can think of a million places to go / be. The one night I get... and I'm home in front of the TV. I did get some knitting done though... Not a total loss.
2. Joe has been working 12's and weekends for the past few weeks. He'll on occasion call me and see what we're doing and let me know he's still alive and hasn't run off.. This weekend B was missing him more than usual and when Joe called at lunch ran over and asked “is that Daddy?” I told him it was and he pointed his little finger at me and said “You tell him if he doesn't come home He's Fired!.” It just so happened that Joe worked 1 shift that day and was home when got up from his nap. They then went to the grocery store to get something special for dinner since it was sweetest day. (we won't spend money on sweetest day but we'll make something nice for dinner together.) When be got home he said “Mommy I got something for you and it looks just like you.” Normally B is very sweet. Any perfect barbie-esque image he says looks like mommy. So I was expecting something pretty. What does he present me with? A glow in the dark pez dispenser with a witch head on it. I'm willing to bet his father had something to do with this.

Algonquin Mill Fall Festival or "The Bullwinkle Convention"

Episode 23

I Production Scheduling

1. Events
   1. Algonquin Mill fall festival was this weekend. What a great time! Nate, and I saw the festival with my dad as Joe had to work. The apple butter is awesome! I've been looking for things to spread it on. I got my Sauerkraut before it sold out,and had some of the best apple cider I've had in a while! We also got to watch a demo on how sorghum was processed. The family selling the sorghum had a large horse hooked up to to a mill of sorts and were boil down the “juice” from the mill on site. I'm a big fan of molasses flavored candies so I've been looking for recipes to use the pint of sorghum I bought. I'm wondering if I can use it interchangeably with molasses... Perhaps some shoo-fly pie bars are in the future? Oh yeah and there was fiber! The Algonquin spinners and weavers has spinning demos, a dye demo over an open fire, some really decent prices on fiber I saw some alpaca blend, Leicester, and dyed mohair locks that I considered buying. I managed to refrain as I plan on stocking up at the Ann Arbor expo and I think I can beg my mom to ask the owners of these animals if I can buy their fiber later on this winter. :) I also came really close to buying some lovely alpaca fingering but it looked like the yarn had rolled around with the alpaca in the bedding. At 18.00 for 200 yds I really don't want to be picking out veg matter. I did buy a very cute treat bag That has a Skull and cross bones on it and reads 100% poisonous Terribly toxic treats Guaranteed to make you shriek! Enjoy at your own peril. It's the perfect size for tea bags or tucking some sweets in for a gift. Nate wore his completed lumber jack hat even though it was about 80 and we were all sweating bullets. It got rave reviews and we were asked If they were selling them at the festival.... Hmmmmmm... an idea for next year? Maybe not because I'd have to track down three designers and ask for permission to sell their work or redesign the whole thing so it's wholly mine. B really enjoyed the steam powered saw mill. We stood for about 20 minutes watching them cut planks. He also enjoyed the steam powered flour mill and the area outside where they were using some of the steam from the mill to shoot plastic water bottles high into the air. He was very excited to shoot the bottle until another child tooted one of the steam whistles and scared him half to death. After that he just wanted to get as far way from that whistle as humanly possible. He did perk up again when I let him ride the ponies. I think that or getting to crank the sock machine was the high light of his day. The sock machines live up to their Hype. They are very cool and I have a few pics to post on the show notes page. B got to crank one and he asked the woman running it what they were making as he cranked away. It was decided between them that they were making “sweaters for snakes.” This was a really we attended event and if you thought about going this year and missed it be sure to look for it next year!
   2. Ann Arbor Fiber Expo or the Fuzzy Fair as Melissa has taken to calling it...October 22 and 23^rd at the Washtenaw Farm Council Grounds.
   3. Camp KIP April 21-24 2012 at the Cedar Creek Conference center in New Haven, Missouri
2. Production
3. What's in my Tea Pot?
4. Materials Sourcing
5. After 5

II Production

1. I heart lace by Inese Andzane knitted out of Cascade Heritage silk in color 5637 which is a peacock blue. I saw this pattern browsing through ravelry looking for things to use up my stash. I'm a sucker for things with a back seam. The wedding dresses with the buttons down the back, those necklaces that we're popular with the chains that hung down the back, even back seamed hose, all looks I love,. I fell in love with the back seam detail on the shawl and the elegant pointed lace detail on the edge. This was before I found out that the edge on this shawl is just one no nonsense chart. I cast this on Monday night and I'm about 5 rows from starting the lace chart. Reading the comments on the pattern this runs small and some raveler's have added rows on to give it a bigger wingspan. I like wear my shawls around my neck over my t shirts to dress them up at the office so the smaller size will actually help me. ( oh and speaking of back seam detail check out the cowgirl cowl by Pam Powers on Ravelery! I'll be purchasing that one soon! That will look awesome over a t-shirt this autumn!)
2. Beaded Ornament from 12 Exquisite Beaded Ornaments to Knit published by Leisure arts. The first ornament I cast on was just out of some sparkly sock yarn that I had been saving for a preemie hat. I already had one hat out of it so I figured why not an ornament. I did not bead this one as it was an experiment. Other than some shaping and setup in the beginning these ornaments are just tubes that drawstring up and around the top of the glass Christmas ball I slid inside. It's really adorable! With the addition of possibly a bow to the top by the hanger it would look great on any tree. I must say that I do not like how the bottom of the ornament it set up. When the knitting is complete there is a gap at the bottom that needs to be seems up. My ornament is done in a self striping yarn and I can clearly tell where the stitching is. It is on the bottom and the likely hood of anyone examining it is low. But... if I'm giving this as a gift I wouldn't be happy with it. Now that I know the secret formula for making these I'll start tinkering with it. My plan as of now is to treat the bottom like I'm casting on for a top hat. I'll be burning through my leftover sock yarn in no time.
3. Holiday knitting – So after I had stated on knit chat , knit group, and I'll have to go to the replay of what I said on the pod cast... (though I think it was I have to decide if I'll be holiday knitting....) I've been volunteered / shanghaied / requested to do some holiday knitting. So I have at least one holiday project on the needles . Now that I'm on the slippery slope I may just add some more.

III What's In my Tea Pot

1. Silk Road Teas: Jasmine Pearls (Mo Li Zhen Zhu)

2. Our supplier's family has been making Jasmine teas for generations, choosing high–quality, tender green leaves and buds for our pearls. The leaves are hand rolled and later infused with the essence of fresh Jasmine flowers. The pearls open during brewing to release their pale green liquor. Aromatic and naturally sweet, this is a relaxing tea. Steep at 175 – 185 degrees for 2 minutes and enjoy
   

3. What can I saw Jasmine is my hands down favorite. There's just something about how the floral perfume hits the back of my sinuses that relaxes me. This particular tea infused well through the second steeping. That being said while I love this jasmine pearl it's pretty much the same as any other I’ve had lately. The bag states it's from Fujian Province so who knows the last three label's I've tried could all be buying from the same supplier. Price and availability will be the key to weather or not I re purchase this tea.

IV Materials Sourcing

1. I finally did it. I started the Knitty and Color batt that I purchased with my winnings from the Summer Spin Along on the I got Ewe Babe group on ravelery. This bat was named Cauldron and is 4.6 oz of BFL and Merino with some Firestar (tri-lobal Nylon) and purple angelina mixed in for sparkle. It's fun and very seasonal. It's been spinning up well with no predrafting. I have about half the bat spun and I'm almost ready to swap bobbins so that I can do an actual two ply. No Andean plying no chain plying. I think that I want the barber poling to break up some of the purple sections with the black and the gray.
2. Some time ago I spun a chunk of Kid mohair that had been given to me. At the time I wasn't sure how I wanted to ply it or what I wanted to ply it with. With a little more time to ponder and a lot more exposure to other spinners I've decided to ply the single with thread and beads. I'll be using it to make some Christmas ornaments as I'm certain that I don't have enough yardage for anything larger than a dish cloth. (who ever hear of a mohair dish cloth?!) I picked up my beads and thread this weekend. I went with a metallic silver thread and clear silver fill beads. I'm going for as much sparkle as possible... I hope it doesn’t end up being really tacky! I was getting ready to take the cauldron batt off the wheel for a bit with the aim to ply the mohair. I figured I'd string the beads first and found out that my beading needles had disapeared and that I had nothing to string the beads with. So tomorrow I'll stop at cvs on my way home to get a pack of dental floss threaders to get these beads strung. Why is it that ,y est laid plans never seem to work out?

V After 5

1. Joe has graduated from Knits and Purls and stockinette. This week is the big week if I can ever manage to be in the same room with him for any amount of time before midnight. He'll e casting on his decepticon washcloth in Peaches and crème in Denim. The Pink, Hot Green and Yellow I had in house didn't appeal to him... :)
2. The race for the Halloween costume is on. Halloween is Joe and my favorite time of the year. Each year we try to think up something to dress up as while we take B trick or Treating. It's really hard to think up couples costumes. I think this year we have it though. I think I'll be able to make him the hat for Fin from the Adventure Time cartoon on Cartoon network. Fin just wears A blue t shirt and blue shorts which Joe already has with a green back pack and sword. That puts me one hot pink thrift store prom dress away from a princess bubble gum out fit. If I can't find that I can always get a long lack wig and some grunge rocker clothes and go as Marcelline the vampire queen from the same show. B is still on the fence. One minute he wants to be the creeper from scooby doo which can easily be any Frankenstein costume, then he wants to e a race car driver with a helmet and a gun? Not sure where he got that race car drivers carry guns... and now he wants to be Super Why from a PBS show. I thought that would be next to impossible to pull off but then I saw that I could order it online. What I really need is for him to really settle on something before I order the costume.
3. B really doesn't like tea. He must take after his father in this regard or maybe it's just a taste I need to cultivate in him. When I use my tea steeper none of my mugs totally empty the steeper. So I usually just put it in another cup so it doesn't over steep. B wanted something to drink and I was about 10 stitches from the end of a row and told him he had to give me a minute. Instead of waiting he wandered into the kitchen and grabbed my extra teacup. I had no idea what was going on and all I heard was the sounds of him trying to cough up something in the other room. So I ran in there to find him with my tea cup and and a straw. He had taken a huge swig of unsweetened tea and was not happy about it. Between his sounds of disgust he managed to gasp “What is that! It's awful!”.
4. This week was Sunday brunch with the knit group. Joe has been working 12'sand weekend's for the past few weeks so Nate baby sat for the half hour between when Joe left or work and I walk ed in the door. Joe put B down for his nap before he left. He told “It's nap time. I won't see you when you get up because I have to go to work.” “Is mommy home?” B asked... “No,she'll be home in a little bit.” “Nate's in charge?” “yeah just until mommy get's home.” “Awwwww! I thought I was gonna be in charge!”