The House at Two Palms

New Blog!

2009-01-19T07:52:00.002-05:00

The blog is moving! Follow my adventures in knitting, dyeing, and soon farming at the new Turtle Cove Farm Blog. Set your bookmarks - I want to see you there :)

CPSIA Updates

2009-01-12T16:29:00.004-05:00

The word is getting out! Save Small Business From the CPSIA is number three on the Change.org page. Voting closes at 5:00 pm EST, Thursday, January 15, 2009. If you haven't registered and voted yet, do so now! (You could vote to stop NAIS while you're there, but that's a whole 'nother can of worms!)

The CPSC has voted tentatively to exempt children's items made of natural materials such as wool, silk, cotton, and wood. This is a big step forward for us, but not far enough. I'd get pretty tired of beige toys pretty quick!

The CPSC also released a memo exempting thrift stores and resellers from lead testing, although the memo states that if the thrift stores know that items contain lead they could be held accountable. I'm not sure if this means I still get to take the monsters to Goodwill every weekend or not.

The most important thing to remember is this is going into law. Any changes the CPSC votes today will not go into effect until after February 10, 2009. Keep talking to your legislators about saving small business from CPSIA, and keep buying handmade toys for your children while you still can.

More links:

WAHM Solutions
Save Handmade
Handmade Toy Alliance

If we're loud enough, the changes will be made!

Save Handmade Toys From CPSIA

2009-01-06T10:15:00.002-05:00

If you only read one blog post from the House at Two Palms, let this one be it. Something is about to happen, my friends, that will adversely affect crafters, parents, grandparents, and anyone who loves the idea of handcrafted toys for children.

Reeling from the backlash of lead tainted imported toys and thousands of recalls, our legislators passed H.R. 4040, the CPSIA. The Consumer Product Safety Act was written to protect children from lead- and phthalate- tainted toys; however, as written, CPSIA will ruin any small business that makes handcrafted toys for children.

No one seriously believes that a hand knit teddy bear is tainted with lead or phthalates. Yet, after February 10, 2009, sellers of these beautiful toys will have to pay hundreds of dollars to have each toy tested by independent laboratories. That’s hundreds of dollars for each toy. Would you be willing to spend $300.00 for that hand knit teddy bear for little Suzie?

If the CPSIA is not changed, thousands of crafters will be out of business. Those crafters will have no money to spend at their local stores. Even if you do not make or buy handmade toys, the loss of that business revenue will affect you. In this crippled economy, we cannot afford to lose any more small businesses.

So what can we do? H.R. 4040 has already been passed into law. It is too late to stop it. However, if we raise our voices loud enough, we can get it amended to exclude handcrafted toys. Change.org is the website for the Obama Transition Team. They want to hear what issues are important to you. Go to the login page and register with Change.org; find “Save Handmade Toys From CPSIA” in the ideas section and vote for it. The top ten ideas will be presented to the president after the inauguration.

But don’t stop there! Contact your Representatives, Senators, and the Leaders of the House and Senate and demand that the CPSIA be amended to save handmade toys. Call, write, and email them, daily if necessary.

We all want to protect children, but this is not the way to do it. I myself have often turned to handcrafted toys as an alternative to the risks of imported toys. If the CPSIA goes into effect as it is now, we will no longer have that option. Together we can change it! Together we can save handmade toys from the CPSIA.

For more information, I have compiled links to a few web articles:

HR 4040 (full language of the bill)
An overview from Speaker Nancy Pelosi
A great article from Business is Personal
Etsy’s open letter to the CPSC

Excuse me while my head explodes

2008-11-25T14:39:00.008-05:00

Phew! Are you ready for Thanksgiving? I'm not! :P

My mind has kind of stalled with the thought of all that cooking and cleaning. This year, for the first time evah, we are having real, live, grown-up people over for Thanksgiving dinner. It'll be awesome, but it's also scary. *waves* Hi, Gail! Hi, Annie! You guys know I'm a slob, right? You've seen my house and my monsters, right? You know my family's slobbish ways are not going to change, right? Right? Right?!?

*crickets chirp*

Sorry about that. The blog's supposed to be this and that and farm dreams and shop updates, not the web published version of my mental breakdown...

So, shop news. I am pleased to announce that Turtle Cove Farm yarns, soaps, and sundries are naw available at Yarny Goodness. Pam's shop is a perfect place to browse Indie fiber artists. She carries everything from yarn to project bags, and I am extremely honored to be a part of it!

I am gobsmacked at the popularity of Bronze Age. If you thought you had missed it, think again! I will do my best to keep this color in stock until everyone's feet are warmed by the shiny, bronze-y loveliness.

Who knew?

I've also been working madly on Turtle Cove Farm's submission to the Phat Fiber box. Have you heard of this yet? It's an amazing box filled to the brim with samples of yarn, roving, stitch markers, patterns... It's like a mini yarn shop in a box. What a fabulous idea!

In the meantime, my spur of the moment sale is still on at Turtle Cove Farm. Free shipping on all yarn orders, including international orders! Hurry! The sale ends this Sunday (11/30/08).

Last but not least, what's the weather like today?

Williston, ND: Clear, 45°F 16°F

CCAFS, FL: Mostly cloudy, 72°F 45°F

Hey look, Ma! Your high temp is our low temp... Heh, I think I'm getting punchy from cleaning fumes. Time for a nap!

Bubba's Colorblind

2008-11-19T14:58:00.006-05:00

First a little back-story:

We live in a very heterogeneous area. Our neighbors are black, white, Hispanic, Asian, sun worshippers, and creatures of the night. I've tried to raise the monsters to see skin color the same way they see height: some people are tall and some are short; some people are brown and some are pink. That's just the way god made 'em.

Keep in mind as you read this that the boys and I are rather fair, while Mister Man, with his outdoor hobbies and absent-minded use of sun block, tans quite dark.

We were shopping this weekend and Mister Man got separated from the rest of us. The boys and I wondered around for a while, looking at this and that, and then started quartering the store looking for their dad. Across the way, I saw a man with the same general build as my husband, but as we got closer, I realized it wasn't him.

"Well," I said to the boys, "that man is big and has a shaved head, but that's not Dad."

"No, Mom," said Bubba, rolling his eyes. "That man's white."

"What?!?" I said.

"Dad's black."

The Last Nightshot

2008-11-17T08:48:00.005-05:00

I grew up dreaming of space, and the fact that I now live within a few miles of the shuttle launch pad fills me with glee. Friday night, my family and I watched the last night launch of the Space Shuttle.

We always watch the launches from the beach at the end of our street. When they start the engines, the sky is set on fire.

We hear a muted rumble as the shuttle slowly climbs above the rooftops.

Remembering the Challenger and Columbia disasters, everyone waits with breathless anticipation as the shuttle exits the atmosphere. When it is just a brighter star in the sky, the crowd starts cheering.

Soon the moon outshines even the shuttle's engines and everyone heads home, proud to be a small part, however vicariously, of man's exploration of the stars.

Weather Update

Williston, ND: Mostly Sunny, 40°F 23°F

CCAFS, FL: Clear, 67°F 45°F

Oooh Shiny!

2008-11-14T09:53:00.006-05:00

Shiny squishy goodness

The latest colorway for Turtle Feet Sock Yarn: Bronze Age. I just wasn't sure about this color combination until I skeined it up. Now it's one of my favorites.

Sale!

Starting tonight at 7:00 p.m. EST, basic shipping for all yarn at Turtle Cove Farm will be free! Yes, that includes international shipping! Check back tonight for all the details.

Weather Update

Williston, ND: Chance of Snow Showers, 36°F 18°F

CCAFS, FL: Chance of Showers, 85°F 72°F

Time Travel the Easy Way

2008-11-10T16:19:00.005-05:00

I did a very brave thing this weekend. I took the monsters to the Ren Faire all by myself. We had so much fun!

I was the stunning assistant for Emrys Fleet, the Rat Catcher, and received a handful of rat poo for my troubles. The monsters thought it was hilarious! I wish we had pictures.

We saw Johnny Phoenix again (that's eight years in a row!). We even bought some Johnny Phoenix hot sauce. I've promised myself that next year I will get a picture with him. I'm a shy fangirl :P

The monsters had a blast trying to kill each other in the fencing arena. They are both such hams! Even the lovely woman running things was almost in tears from laughter.

En guard!

All in all it was a fabulous day. I had so much fun with the monsters! I can't wait 'til next year.

Weather update:

Williston, ND: Partly Sunny, 34°F 18°F

CCAFS, FL: Clear, 74°F 63°F

That's a 40 degree difference!

Weather Update

2008-11-09T18:15:00.002-05:00

I have stories from the Ren Faire this weekend, but since dinner's almost ready, I'll have to tell you later. In the meantime:

Weather for Williston, ND: Mostly Sunny, 31°F | 16°F

Weather for CCAFS, FL: Clear, 74°F | 54°F

I know you're fascinated :P

Weather Update

2008-11-07T14:00:00.001-05:00

Williston, ND: Mostly Sunny, 34°F | 14°F

CAFS, FL: Mostly Sunny, 77°F | 61°F

Brrr... Think we'll adjust?

Election Day + 2

2008-11-06T12:14:00.006-05:00

Whew - I meant to post this yesterday, but I needed an extra day to recover! This election season has been exhausting! Did you vote? virtual high five Our democratic process only works when we are a part of it.

As a quiet aside and a sigh of relief: Yay! My boss was reelected; I'll still have a job in January :^)

I have lots of news about the shop. The Knitting Salve is now available in four new fragrances, Orange Spice, Summer Berries, Wake Up! and White Tea and Ginger. I've also started making a fragrance-free version called Liberated. My fingers have never been happier.

I've been testing a new line of acid dyes that have been formulated without the use of hazardous metals. The colors are stunning and as colorfast and lightfast as traditional dyes. Check out the new Turtle Feet Rainbow Collection and let me know what you think.

Rainbow Feet

In knitting news, I've found a new love. I just can't get enough of fingerless gloves!

Armwarmers of Awesomeness (My own pattern)

More Manly Mitts (roughly based on Ken)

Nereid Gloves

Porphyria (Rav link)

One last thing, as both a prod to post more often, and as a reminder that, Baby, it's cold up there, I am going to start posting the highs and lows for both Williston, ND, and Canaveral Air Force Station, FL. These are the weather stations closest to where we want to be and where we are right now.

Weather for Williston, ND: Snow, 31°F 20°F

Weather for CCAFS, FL: Mostly Sunny, 76°F 56°F

Baby, it's cooold up there!

What is this, a petting zoo?

2008-08-27T12:53:00.004-04:00

Luckily, Tropical Storm Fay gave us nothing worse than cabin fever here at the House at Two Palms. We had four days trapped inside with a six year old and a five year old… It’s a wonder we survived.

More Fay photos here

During our house arrest, we watched movies and played board games – Blokus is a lifesaver! We also spent a lot of time reading; at one point I was reading excerpts from a book on pasture-raised chickens to the monsters. That was when I realized that we had all gone insane.

See, it started with sheep and goats. We want sheep for wool and goats for milk, and both for meat. But, if we have sheep and goats, we have to be prepared to fight parasites. We want to minimize the routine use of medications, so we will need something to help keep the parasite load down. That led us to chickens.

Chickens are perfect for the job; they can graze behind the ruminants, scratching up bugs and fighting the parasite cycle. Plus hens lay eggs, bringing us closer to self-sufficiency!

But chickens need to be protected from predators. Now we’re learning about “chicken tractors” and guard animals. We’re thinking of adding a few guinea fowl to the flock as watch animals; they may be one of the ugliest birds on a farm, but they sound an alert against intruders, and they eat a ton of bugs.

Are you keeping count? When you add the rabbits, cats, and dog that we already have, that makes seven different types of animals. It won’t be a farm; it’ll be a zoo!

Our time together during the tropical storm reinforced the fact that we are all invested in this crazy farm scheme. Even the kids are caught up in the idea: asking questions, learning about the different animals and their care, sketching plans for pole barns and chicken tractors, and just dreaming with us. Seeing the kids excited and involved in our plans is absolutely priceless.

Since no storm can last forever, this week we finally went back to work and school. I am the proud mom of a kindergartner and a first grader. sniff They grow so fast!

Butternut Squash Soup

2008-08-13T09:09:00.002-04:00

Get ready to bookmark this post. You definitely want to try this at home!

In defiance of the simmering August heat, I wanted that fall classic, Butternut Squash Soup, for dinner. I made up the recipe on the fly, and it was amazing. It is not for the faint of heart – or anyone on a heart-healthy diet – but it is sooo delicious that I have to share.

Eryn’s Amazing Butternut Squash Soup

2 butternut squash
2 medium red potatoes, sliced
16 ounces chicken stock/broth
1 pint heavy cream
4 Tablespoons butter
½ cup chopped onion
1 teaspoon minced garlic (roughly 2-3 cloves)
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
¼ teaspoon chili powder
salt and pepper to taste

Cut the squash in half and scoop out the seeds. Place in a microwave safe dish with one inch of water and microwave on high for approximately fifteen minutes (until flesh is barely tender).

In a large saucepan, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Add chopped onion, cooking until translucent. Add garlic and sliced potatoes. Sauté until the potatoes are golden brown and the garlic and onion are very fragrant. Add the chicken stock/broth (I used a low sodium name-brand carton), nutmeg, chili powder, and salt and pepper. Bring to a boil and simmer until the potatoes are done.

Carefully (those squash are hot!) scrape squash pulp from the skin and add to the soup. Add the heavy cream and puree until smooth (I used my trusty blender, but an immersion blender would work great). Serve hot with fresh baked biscuits.

I haven’t measured serving sizes or total yield, but I can say this served my family of four until we were stuffed full, and we have a bit leftover. The soup has a delicate flavor and was very filling. It won’t make it into my weekly menu – if it did, eventually I would no longer be able to fit out the door! – but it is being added to my “seasonal favorites” menu.

Mmmm, yummy!

Is summer over yet?

2008-08-08T10:19:00.005-04:00

Whoo-hoo! Man, I think I should have just taken July off completely.

Wait, you did take July off…

Oops, I guess I meant officially. Wow, what a month.

My 13-year-old twin stepsons were in town for their annual visit, so the House at (at least) Two Palms was filled with laughter, teen angst, a bit of drama, and a lot of fun. We look forward to their visit every year, but it can feel a bit like a five-week hurricane season – exciting, breath taking, and ultimately unpredictable.

I’ve also been working on Turtle Cove Farm, my new on-line store for knitting with soap. It will be a virtual farm for the next few years, but in 2010 Turtle Cove Farm will be our reality, a small-scale sheep farm on the plains of North Dakota.

Well, that seems sudden…

Mister Man and I had a long talk, and realized that for years we have both had the same dream of a simpler life up North. We were both a little embarrassed to admit it, each thinking that the other loved Florida too much to ever move away. And I do love it here, but I want to give the monsters the kind of childhood I had: a childhood filled with the serenity of wide-open spaces, the slow pace of nature, and a family so big you can never remember whether someone is a first- or second- cousin and you introduce yourself by listing your genealogy.

If you get a chance, wander around the new store and look around. It’s still a work in progress, so if you see something that could use improvement, I’d love to know.

In the meantime, if I get that far-away look in my eye, this is what I'll be thinking of:

Thank you for your patience; have some cake

2008-06-26T18:43:00.003-04:00

Guess what - I'm a year older. Can you tell?

I think Ravelry has changed birthdays in the knitting world forever. Yesterday I celebrated the day of my birth (thanks, Mom!) and I was inundated with well wishes from both friends and random people who saw my little cake icon. It was quite lovely!

I love the fact that this year my birthday coincided with knit night. That meant double the cake:

One was from the kids, and was choked down with a smile. The other was waiting for me at knit night, and came back home with me. Can you figure out which one's which?

Enough about me... Drum roll, please: it's finally in the shop!

Turtle Cove - your place for the finest handmade soaps, handpainted yarns, and now knitting salve.

Knitting Salve

2008-06-24T17:37:00.003-04:00

Check it out:

Coming soon to Turtle Cove!

I Can't Believe I Forgot a Title!

2008-06-21T07:16:00.004-04:00

I have so much to blog about that I’m not even sure where to begin… Today it will be a little knitting. I finished the Striped Hoody from Knit Simple Magazine (Ravelry link), Flower Power, and Magic Slippers for my new baby niece. I was under a deadline, so I didn’t keep the best of notes.

Miss Cutie Patootie

The Details

I had nine months to knit a baby sweater. You’d think I would have had three or four done before the baby was born! Alas, every time I cast something on, I hated it. I either didn’t love the pattern or I didn’t love the yarn.

Finally, when I was down to the wire, I found the Striped Hoody and Classic Elite Summer Set. Summer Set is a cotton alpaca blend with a hint of polyester and lyocel; it isn’t superwash, but otherwise it’s perfect for baby projects: lightweight and warm, with fabulous colors.

It has a pom-pom!

One note of caution with the Striped Hoody pattern: Read the gauge of the pattern very carefully. I assumed it was gauge for a 4 x 4 square… It calls for a 4 x 5 rectangle. That’s a big difference! Luckily, Little Miss is skinny.

I couldn’t find the right zipper for the Hoody, so I improvised a closure with i-cord. It’s cute, but not very practical.

Check out my picot hems!

If you hate seaming, this is not the sweater for you! It has sides seams, shoulder seams, sleeve seams, hood seams, and hems! I was thoroughly sick of seaming by the end. The patterns calls for binding off the edges, then folding back and seaming to get the picot edge. I didn't like how it looked with bound off edges, so I tacked down the live stitches. Much better.

The Hat

A cute little girl needs a silly hat, and my mom practically demanded that I make Flower Power for her first granddaughter.

Cute Overload

This is such a cute pattern! I only knit one strand, so my gauge was waaaay off. I cast on as if for a super-large and went from there.

The Booties

The fashionable baby is dressed from head-to-toe in hand knits, so of course I had to knit some booties. I fell in love with Magic Slippers when Jesh blogged about them; they are quick, easy, and use up all that left over yarn. I knit these with two strands held together on size sixes.

Baby Booties are sooo sweet

Coming Soon

Well, I think this is enough for this morning. I have shop updates, stories from our trip to North Dakota, and even more information on Sears Houses to tell you about, but time is running away from me and I have much to do…

Until later!

I Aten’t Ded

2008-06-17T10:04:00.003-04:00

Oh, my dearest loverlies, once again I’ve fallen off the face of the earth. We’ve had four weeks of madness at the (New) House at Two Palms… I hardly know where to begin.

First of all, we did get moved to the new house. A huge thank you goes to annieroo, her husband, and GailinCCB. We couldn’t have done it without your help! The move was exhausting and the less said, the better, although it does chap my ass that our old landlord spent many ten hour days fixing all the things he should have taken care of when we lived there.

The new house is faboo; cluttered, but faboo. We will probably get unpacked just in time to move to this:

What is this, you ask? Well, part of the reason the move was so rushed was that we had plane tickets to go meet a new bundle of sweetness.

Little Miss No Name is as sweet as pie, and it was reassuring to find that I have no desire to have another one of my own. These monsters are enough.

While we were in North Dakota, Dad took us out to look at a few acres of pasture perfect for a few sheep, and this gorgeous Sears Roebuck kit house.

Did you know Sears sold houses? I am still gobsmacked at the idea of ordering your house from a catalog. The house is a mess and it needs tons of work, but it is gorgeous. You just can’t find details like this in modern houses.

So now MrMan and I are imagining that house on this land

With a few sheep, some lilac bushes, and a windmill or two, it would be heaven.

Another Bubba-ism

2008-05-16T19:11:00.003-04:00

Bubba spent the day at work with me today. As we were driving back to the office after lunch, he said, "You know what I believe?"

"What, honey?"

"I believe someday we'll be twins."

"You mean when you're a grownup you and I will be just like twins?" I asked, hoping for an insight into his mind.

"No, after we die, and we wait for a really long time, we'll come back as twins."

Say it with me: Awwwwwwwww!

So You Want to Own a Rabbit

2008-05-14T15:39:00.005-04:00

Since I began posting about my baby bunnies, I have received many questions about Satin Angoras and rabbits in general. I’m going to try to answer some of them here. Remember, I am not an expert!

Rabbits make fabulous pets. I had absolutely no idea how wonderful they are until I got obsessed with Angoras and had to have my own. Rabbits are most active during the mornings and the evenings, making them a perfect pet for the average nine-to-fiver. Rabbits are quiet, but full of personality; they can even be litter boxed trained.

There are many resources on the net for those interested in rabbits. I started with the House Rabbit Society, the American Rabbit Breeders Association, and the National Angora Rabbit Breeders Club. If you want to have a rabbit in your life, I strongly urge you to visit those sites. Each is full of information about rabbit care, feeding, housing, and health.

Each of these sites is also full of worst-case scenario horror stories. I was terrified that I would injure, kill, or maim my rabbits before I even got them home. Rabbits are very susceptible to some odd things, but they are also very resilient and, overall, easy to care for.

The Rabbits

First, you need to decide what type of rabbit you want. Do you want a particular breed? Is size or color important? Will you be showing your rabbit or just enjoying his quiet company? If breed doesn’t matter, reach out to your local shelters for a rescue rabbit. He may need extra patience and love, but it will be worth it.

I wanted Angora rabbits for their wool, so I looked for a breeder. I found the lovely Kim at Woolie Creations through the NARBA’s website. She helped me pick out Jasper and Nutmeg, and gave me pointers for their care. If you buy a rabbit through a breeder, make sure you feel comfortable asking questions. If the breeder makes you feel awkward asking for help, find a different breeder!

Housing

Rabbits can be litter boxed trained, but should never have free run of the house. They have a distressing habit of chewing power cords, carpets, walls, and floorboards. If you want a house rabbit, I would recommend setting aside one room, or one area of the house, that is completely rabbit proof – the House Rabbit Society has many guidelines for rabbit-proofing your house.

I started with Cubes and Coroplast housing for my rabbits. I was able to build each rabbit a very large cage that included jumping shelves for much less than similar cages would cost in a pet store. I’ve recently upgraded to stacking cages from Bass Equipment that are roomy, easy to clean, and have a smaller footprint than the old cages. The most important thing to remember is rabbits need more room than the typical pet store tells you.

Feeding

There are a lot of rabbit food brands out there, and it can be very confusing trying to pick the best one. I use LM Animal Farms Classic Blend because I can get it easily at the local pet store, it has a nice mix of roughage and protein, and my rabbits like it. Whatever you pick, remember that rabbit tummies do not like change. When you first get your rabbit, ask for a three-day supply of the rabbit’s food. If you switch brands, do so slowly by adding a little bit of the new food to the old over a few days.

Young rabbits should be able to eat as much as they want, when they want. As adults, feed your rabbit a set amount at the same time every day. Each brand of feed is a little different; start with their guidelines and adjust as necessary. To check the weight of my rabbit, I run my hand along her back to feel the spine; if the spine or hips feel boney, she’s too skinny; if I can’t feel the spine at all, my rabbit is too fat.

Rabbits also need high quality timothy hay. This is especially important for wooly rabbits – I’ll go into that in more detail next time. I buy my hay at the pet store, but many buy small bales from local farmers. The hay needs to be kept dry; moldy hay is toxic and can kill your rabbit.

Don’t forget the water! If a rabbit doesn’t have clean water, he won’t eat, and he could die of dehydration. It doesn’t matter if you have a crock of water in the cage or a water bottle mounted on the side, as long as your rabbit has fresh water every day. I use water bottles because my rabbits would play in their water crocks and make huge messes! I’ve found that Lixit makes sturdy water bottles that don’t drip.

Treats

My rabbits are spoiled; they get treats almost every day. Their favorite treats are parsley, carrots, oats, whole grain crackers, sunflower seeds, apples, and raisins. Rabbits do not eat lettuce! Before giving your rabbit treats, check the House Rabbit Society’s lists of good and bad treats. Like anything in life, there can be too much of a good thing! Small amounts are best, especially if it’s something new.

Next Time – Special Care for Angora Rabbits

Since this post has become so long, I will save my advice for Angora owners for next time. If you stuck with me this long – thanks for humoring me! Here’s a funny picture for your prize.

Why'd you have to go and let it dye?

2008-05-08T15:35:00.004-04:00

As I’m sure you can imagine, much has been going on at the House at Two Palms. I have been sorting our stuff into Trash, Junk, Rummage Sale, OMG What Was I Thinking, and Keep. So far the OMG pile is winning…

I have been terribly remiss in posting pictures of the bunny babies.

They have grown so big!

They are so curious and full of energy that it is really hard to get good pictures. I have many shots of bunnies hopping away :^) For my local readers, the bunnies are finally ready to go to new homes; if you’re interested, let me know.

My biggest news is the debut of Turtle Cove Yarns at my etsy shop. Playing with colors in my soaps naturally led to playing with colors in yarn. I’ve come up with a few colorways that I think you will love.

Today’s post brought to you by the color Black Cherry

Click on the shop link to see more; I’ll list more colors the next time I can steal five minutes on the computer myself.

Thank heaven...

2008-04-30T16:39:00.002-04:00

It’s the Seven Random Things Meme! Holly tagged me forever ago; it’s about time I tackled it…

The rules:

Link to your tagger and post these rules on your blog.

Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog, some random, some weird.

Tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blogs.

Let them know they are tagged by leaving comments on their blogs.

Let the Randomness Begin!

1 – I have extremely blue eyes and purple hair, and only one is from a box.

2 – I met my husband in the Army when I issued him an M16 rifle.

3 – I spend an inordinate amount of time wondering about the strangest things. Are eye sockets considered orifices? Do NASCAR drivers ever zone out and lose count of their laps? If people grew gills, would they be on the neck or on the ribs?

4 – I am agoraphobic. I’m not shy per se; however, any new situation with other people can cause huge panic attacks. I avoid shopping… Well, really I avoid shopping all the time, but I especially avoid it from November to January. I hate going to the beach or a park on crowded days, and I will not go to a concert at a large venue, no matter who is playing.

5 – I love shoes! The crazier the better. My favorite shoe vendor caters to cross-dressers and strippers.

6 – I grew up in North Dakota, and am ready to go back. I love Florida, but the craziness our legislators come out with every year make it harder and harder to live here. I want to have a small, sustainable farm off the grid where my kids can run free and we can raise sheep and organic vegetables.

7 – I have never seen the movie Titanic, and I never plan to.

Tag you’re it!

1 – ‘Lista
2 – Duncks
3 – buttercup
4 – kemtee
5 – Heather
6 – Robin
7 – Knit-a-Saur

Any of you feel like playing?

PVC Yarn Swift and Niddy Noddy

2008-04-28T11:31:00.007-04:00

Look what I made this weekend!

What the heck is that?

Okay, actually Mister Man* did the work - but I take full credit as designer, engineer, and general de-bugger. This is a PVC yarn swift with a PVC niddy-noddy behind it. Each one was delightfully simple to make.

The niddy-noddy is an 18-inch length of ½ inch PVC topped with two T-bars set perpendicular to each other. The T’s are made with two 6-inch lengths of ½ inch PVC with end caps. This took fifteen minutes to make and cost less than $5.

Why do you take pictures in the dark?

The swift is four 12-inch pieces of ½ inch PVC connected in the center to a four-way cross connector. Each arm has an end cap and an adjustable upright “peg”. The pegs are ¾ inch PVC mounted on ¾ inch T-connectors that slide along the arms. Each T has a cup hook screwed into the bottom; to adjust the peg, I simply loosen the hook, slide the peg into position, and re-tighten the hook.

Check out Bubba's homework - he's a budding Einstein!

The whole assembly is mounted on scrap wood with a 4-inch carriage bolt. Wing nuts and 2-inch washers support the swift assembly and ensure it spins freely.

Washers make it spin!

With all the cutting, cursing, re-designing, and trips to the hardware store to pick up things I forgot, the swift took an hour to make. Total cost was less than $10.

I used both of these immediately after completion and love them. I can’t believe it took me so long to make them!

If you want to make this swift and niddy-noddy for yourself, here’s a handy-dandy parts list.

8 ft – ½-inch PVC pipe (I only used 7.5 ft, but I wanted a little extra just in case)
2 ft – ¾-inch PVC pipe
2 – ½-inch T-connectors
1 – ½-inch four-way cross connector
8 – ½-inch end caps
4 – ¾-inch T-connectors
4 – ¾-inch end caps
4 – cup hooks
1 – 4-inch carriage bolt (or similar)
2 – 2-inch washers sized to fit your carriage bolt
2 – wing nuts sized to fit your carriage bolt
scrap wood for the base

We used a hacksaw to cut the PVC – but really any saw will work. Since the end caps protect the yarn from snags, it doesn’t matter if the cuts are perfectly smooth. Mister Man drilled the center of the cross connector and the scrap wood base with a ¼-inch bit, and the small holes for the hooks with a 1/8-inch bit.

If you make either or both of these, have fun, and let me know. I'd love to see it!

*It has been brought to my attention that "The Hairy One" might be insulting to someone worried about male-pattern baldness. As I never want to offend the love of my life, from now on I will call him "Mister Man." :P

Isn’t this a knitting blog?

2008-04-25T14:20:00.011-04:00

Yes, yes it is. And in these hectic times, knitting has kept me sane – or at least partially so.

I was knitting very faithfully on the Manly Cable sweater for my husband. This is a top-down, raglan style sweater I designed just for him – Look, Ma, I did math!

The black Manos del Uruguay hides the intricate cables; click on a picture to see the cable-y goodness. Yum. I even put cables across the shoulders and inside the arms! I rock.

I was monogamous to this sweater until cables became too complicated for mindless knitting. I needed mindless, stress reducing knitting! I cast on the DROPS jacket with collar and lace pattern (100-12) in some of my hand spun. Oh, it was a beautiful thing, but I had nowhere near enough yarn. What’s a girl to do? Rip it and re-cast with alpaca and merino!

I call this my Super Soft Cardigan. It’s two strands of Berroco Ultra Alpaca with one strand of Dark Horse Yarns Rhapsody. It is smooshably soft.

Of course, I was chomping at the bit to knit with my handspun, so I started a little capelet.

Once again knitting from my brain (and ignoring any bats in the belfry) I did some math and cast on for a collar and a wide button band. I am increasing like mad, and hope to end up with a little capelet with three quarter sleeves. Can a cape have sleeves?

As always, I have many projects languishing in the craft room. They are not UFO’s yet! I’m still working on them – really! Some day I will post pictures of the finished objects and the world will stop laughing. Some wonderful day…

Shameless Self Promotion

If you have a chance, click over to Turtle Cove Soaps for my Spring Fling promotion. For a limited time, every order of soap will include a free face scrubbie handmade by Kreations from 100% cotton.

These scrubbies are cute little powerhouses for scrubbing away dirt and grime; they’re machine washable, and they only get better with time. They are a perfect match for my handmade soaps.

Bunnies, Kids, or Cats?

It's two out of three*!

Help! I am not a bunny mommy!

*And darlin', two outta three ain't bad....

Picture Proof

2008-04-23T18:16:00.003-04:00

As promised, here is picture proof of my scary office.

This long shot doesn't quite convey the horror, but it does show off my cool new bag!

Doesn't this look like a door propped on filing cabinets?

Here is my sad attempt to spruce things up.

Check out the rat trap under my desk. It's loverly.

Since I can't close a post on that depressing note, here's a picture of a baby bunny exploring.

The dog food proved quite interesting, but not worth eating.

One Move Down, One to Go

2008-04-23T13:16:00.002-04:00

Whew! I have officially moved into my new position. I've gone from Executive Assistant to The Man to Legal Assistant within the organization. I'm still a glorified secretary, but it's a great career move. This position has so much potential for growth, both within the organization and out in the real world. I have to repeat that to myself often because I've moved from the White House to the ghetto.

I've gone from mahogany furniture and plush carpet so thick it could twist ankles to a cubicle turned (not so) private office with a desk apparently made from doors propped on top of metal filing cabinets. I brought my camera in today to take picture proof - but forgot the driver. I will upload pictures tonight; you have to see it to believe it.

The difference in stress levels is amazing. Not once this week have I woken up in the middle of the night, convinced I've screwed up the calendar or forgotten a message. During my commute, I no longer obsess over the impossibility of completing eighty hours worth of work in the forty hour work week. It is fabulous.

I just noticed that one of my tags is "dying," not "dyeing." I'm fixing it right now! I promise I'm not Danielle ;^)

Some Whine, Some Books, and Some Bunnies

2008-04-09T16:44:00.004-04:00

I have been trying to avoid turning this blog into a whine-fest, but I am tired. Sick and tired of everything. A lot of changes are happening here, and I should be excited, but mostly I’m just tired. I don’t know if I’m overwhelmed at too many changes at once, or if I’ve just been overwhelmed for so long that nothing breaks through.

Next week I’m transferring to a new position in the agency. It’s a legal secretary type position that has the potential to turn into full-blown paralegal status (where they pay for school!). I’ve been spending the last month wrapping up all my projects, streamlining my files, and trying to train my replacement, who’s been trying to wrap up all her projects. I think I will be excited again at the end of next week, after the move.

And speaking of moves, in the next few months, we will be moving the House at Two Palms lock, stock, and barrel across the street into a new house. The new house, while still a rental, is cheaper, closer to the beach, and has a back yard that the monsters can play in. It’s fabulous the way it’s all worked out, but, sheesh, moving! And we have a lot of stuff to move… It’ll be rummage sale and freecycle time!

And last, but not least, I just dumped an ungodly amount of cash into plane tickets back to North Dakota. I’m dragging the monsters back home to see the family and meet their new cousin (due May 29th). I can’t wait to take a real vacation, but OMG! I could have used that money as a down payment on a house in God’s Armpit, ND!

Okay, okay, enough whining. Heather tagged me with a book meme; here goes!

1. What book are you currently reading?

Magic Bites, by Ilona Andrews – I love dark urban fantasy, but the genre can be very hit or miss. This one is definitely a hit. I just ordered the sequel and pulled this one off the shelf to re-read while I wait. It has a nice urban noire feel to it, with a tough, sarcastic heroine who is still likable. I’ve walked away from many books that have made their women protagonists full-blown bitches; I want to be able to like the heroine. This book has many interesting twists on the genre: magic is taking over tech, with the world hanging in the balance, and vampires are mindless undead controlled by Masters of the Dead. Enter Kate Daniels, a mercenary investigating the death of her guardian and trying to prevent a war between the Pack (shapeshifters) and the People (necromancers). The book isn’t amazing, but it’s interesting and quite a good read.

2. When you think of a good story, what are the first 3 books that come to mind?

Ender’s Game, by Orson Scott Card - This was a life-changing book for me the first time I read it at the grand old age of twelve. I’ve carried the lessons I learned from this book my entire life, especially those on empathy and what it means to be human or alien. I have probably read this book hundreds of times, and each time it brings something new to my life.

The Hero and the Crown, by Robin McKinley – When I think of epic I think of this book. Robin McKinley is a masterful author, and this book is a prime example.

Anything by Patricia A. McKillip, although if forced to narrow it down I’d have to say The Cygnet and the Firebird. Patricia McKillip’s prose is magic, each sentence crafted like a Faberge egg.

Looking back on these I’ve noticed that the common theme is the misfit. Hmmm, does that say anything about me?

3. Which 3 books would you recommend for summer 2008 beach reading?

Since I live (almost) on the beach, all my reading is beach reading, so I’m going to steal this as three more books I wish everyone would read.

Good Omens, by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaimen – absolutely fabulous take on the Apocalypse. Makes me laugh out loud every time.

The Shape-Changer’s Wife, by Sharon Shinn – this is her first novel, and really my favorite. It’s an enchanting story with twists and turns and a bittersweet ending.

Winter’s Tale, by Mark Helprin – a beautiful, lyrical story about good and evil, love and loss, and life and death. It can be a tough read, but it is so worth it.

4. Any knitting books you would care to share?

The Twisted Sisters Knit Sweaters: A Knit-to-Fit Workshop, by Lynne Vogel – I am using this book to knit a cabled raglan sweater for my husband that I’ve designed myself. Following the Twisted Sisters guidelines, I mapped out the sweater and the stitch pattern, did the simple math, and now I am halfway through a sweater that is turning out perfectly.

5. What is next on your reading list?

Here’s the list I just ordered, although I’m sure I’ll read a number of others before they arrive:

Magic Burns (Kate Daniels, Book 2) by Ilona Andrews
American Indian Trickster Tales (Myths and Legends), by Richard Erdoes
Embrace the Night (Cassandra Palmer Series, Book 3), by Karen Chance
Living with Sheep: Everything You Need to Know to Raise Your Own Flock, by Geoff Hansen

6. Tag three other knitters for this meme:

I would love to see what everyone’s reading. If you find yourself inspired by this post, consider yourself tagged!

Last but not least – baby bunnies! Here they are on their one month birthday.

And for comparison, here's Mom on the same stool (her wool's still growing back in, so she's looking a little rough):

Black as My Soul

2008-04-02T15:34:00.007-04:00

This morning that was actually my answer to “How would you like your coffee?” I even shocked myself! I never really say these things out loud – I just think them! However, my out burst is appropriate today because I have a Wicked little sweater to show off.

I started this March 20 and finished it March 30! It was fun, fast, and I love it.

Details:

Pattern: Wicked by Zephyr Style
Yarn: Berroco Ultra Alpaca, Oceanic Mix (6285), 4 skeins
Needles: US 7
Size: 32”-35”

This was my first top-down raglan style, and I loved that I could stop at anytime and try it on. I had heard through the Ravelry grapevine that this sweater knit up a little big, so I cast on for a smaller than normal size. Since I could try it on every few inches, I easily made adjustments to fit my body.

Modifications:

I skipped the kangaroo pouch, knit three-quarter length sleeves, and repeated the crossover cable stitch at the bottom. My biggest modification was continuing the increases after separating for the sleeves. I don’t know about you, but my largest bust measurement falls well below my armpits!

The Ultra Alpaca is soft and warm, and a joy to work with. My only complaint is how long it takes to wind these never-ending skeins into balls – I really, really need a ball winder.

This little sweater very versatile: I wore it with slacks to work (where it kept me nice and warm in my frigid office) and it’ll look great with jeans on the weekends.

So, are you jonesing for a bunny fix? I missed the weekly Sunday photo due to circumstances beyond my control – note to self: the camera’s battery compartment has a diagram for a reason – so here they are at three and a half weeks.

Big thanks to Bubba for his help posing with the bunny!

In my last post, Heather asked about the bunny trance; here are the instructions so that you too can trance a bunny. YMMV

Tools needed:

A calm bunny
A quiet room
A lap

Gently, gently, gently place the bunny on its back on your lap. Watch out – bunnies do not like to be upside down! You may get kicked and bunny nails can be sharp. With one hand I smooth the bunny’s ears to her back and with the other I gently turn her over. I’ve found that if I angle my lap so that the bunny’s head is slightly lower than her body, she calms down faster. I gently rub the bunny’s nose until she relaxes into the trance.

A tranced bunny is perfectly relaxed and perfectly relaxing.

I am a disapproving bunny and I do not approve this message.

It's Spring!

2008-03-27T15:10:00.003-04:00

It's spring break time in Florida. The streets are full of sunburned tourists, the grocer’s freezer section has been stripped of all microwavable convenience foods, and we're running low on booze...

Our economy is dependent on two things here: tourists and NASA. I love both, but it is disconcerting to run to the grocery store and find it wall-to-wall college students with carts packed with ramen noodles, microwave pizzas, and cases of beer. I just want to buy milk and eggs, people! Come on!

I’m afraid I get especially impatient when I’m on the highway, stuck behind a car with Ontario plates (or Wisconsin, or New York…) driving 10 miles below the speed limit. For goodness sake! The speed limit is 55, buddy! If we were on the beach road or driving through the wildlife refuge, I’d understand, but there are only dingy strip malls on this particular stretch of road.

On the other hand, there is nothing quite like watching people’s reactions the first time they see the ocean. They trudge from their cars, dragging their coolers and umbrella stands across the boardwalks protecting the dunes, and suddenly they stop in amazement. The ocean goes on forever, blending into the sky at the horizon. It takes my breath away too.

On the home front, T-ball has taken a turn for the crazy. I have always maintained that children’s sports are taken too seriously and haven’t wanted to expose the monsters to that. I deluded myself when it came to T-ball. I thought that a game that has no score, no strikes, and no outs couldn’t possibly become super competitive. Yeah, I was wrong.

Suddenly all the T-ball teams have to practice coach pitch, and during the games each batter gets five coach pitches before they drag out the T. Keep in mind that these teams are four to six year olds, and we still have to remind the kids to run to first base…

My boys are still having fun, and we’ll stay until that’s no longer true. Bubba was extremely proud at the last game to have caught a fly ball from first base. I didn't have the heart to remind him that it was his team’s ball and he was supposed to run to second.

I’ve made the Hairy One promise that we would switch to karate after baseball season and never look back.

So enough of my mad blatherings! I know you’re really here to see baby bunnies. These pictures were taken last Sunday when they were two weeks old. You can almost watch them grow.

A big pile of Awww

Look, Ma, I'm all grow'd up!

They’ve begun chasing Mama around, hoping for a meal. She has a baby-free shelf in her cage where she spends most of her time now. We have rabbit pellets mixed with oats (good for baby tummies) and crocks of water where the babies can reach them. They aren't very interested yet, but it won't be long!

Bunny Trance!

The bunny trance is one of the neatest things about rabbits. Under certain conditions, when a rabbit is placed on his back, he goes into a trance-like state, totally zoned out. It is utter bliss to have a bunny trance out on your lap!

More baby pictures can be found here.

One last thing: I promised Miss Fish that I would try chronicle all the funny things the monsters say. With the baby bunnies, I have had to tread a fine line between honestly answering the boys’ questions about the facts of life and having the sex talk with them.

Bubba had been pondering this mystery of life and asked, “Mom, where do baby bunnies come from?”

Me: “Um, what do you mean?” hoping to avoid the “when a mommy bunny and a daddy bunny love each other very much” speech.

“Where do baby bunnies come from?”

“Well, the mommy bunny and the daddy bunny…”

“No, Mom,” eye roll, “where do they come from?”

“Can you ask me the question with different words? I don’t understand what you mean.”

Bubba is quiet for a minute, deep in thought. “Oh, I know. The mommy bunny just poops the babies out of her penis.”

“What?!?!” holding back shrieks of laughter. “No, honey, mommies don’t have penises. Only boys and men have penises…”

“Oh, you mean your penis falls off when you have a baby?”

I had tears from suppressing my giggles. I did explain the differences between men and women (again) with a brief discussion about the womb and the birth canal. I tried to be somewhat vague without being confusing. I absolutely do not want another frantic teacher call followed by the “penis is not a bad word, but it is private” conversation again.

Fuzzy Wuzzy Cuddles

2008-03-17T13:06:00.004-04:00

We've succumbed to baby love at the House at Two Palms.

The baby rabbits are one week old and starting to show their colors.

My favorites are this red (fawn).

And this black. All of the babies can be seen here. Awwwww!

I have been scolded for not making it clear that these were baby bunnies.... They did look like little rats at birth :^) Mom and Dad are Satin Angoras registered with the ARBA and the NARBC; both are fantastic examples of the breed. We plan on keeping the best of the litter and selling the others. I hope the little black or the red have fabulous wool, because they really are my favorites.

In non-baby news, I have added two new soaps to the etsy shop - Triple Chocolate and a new salt scrub. I've sold out of the kitchen soap, but more is curing in the soap lab! It will be added to the shop shortly.

I've been knitting - I promise. I seem to be stuck in a teal phase. On the needles right now, I have Eiffel in teal Classic Silk, Wicked in teal Inca Alpaca, and a doll's sweater (my own pattern) in teal Lush. Looking at the list, it's obvious that I'm in a Classic Elite phase too! The only problem with this teal phase is I cannot get nice photos of any of these...

Where did the time go?

2008-03-10T11:22:00.012-04:00

Whew - it was a whirlwind weekend here at the House at Two Palms. Even if you don't read everything, stick with me 'til the end. It's worth it.

The monsters had their first T-ball game this weekend. There's nothing like getting up at the crack of dawn on a Saturday to hustle two boys into uniforms, find gloves and hats, fill water bottles, forget water bottles, forget gloves, forget which field they're playing on, go back for gloves, still forget water bottles, chase down wind-blown hats, and finally find the right field, only to discover that being on-time is apparently considered being early...

It really was fun watching the kids at their first game. None of the kids remembered what to do after hitting the ball, so there were the classic moments of delayed reactions, running with the bat, running the wrong way, and even running to first, then turning around to run back.

In T-Ball, there are no winners or losers: everyone bats and everyone gets to run the bases. I was expecting uber-competitive Bubba to ask who won, but it never came up! Hooray - dodged that bullet.

After the game I finished a little spinning...

This is Blackberries from loop - alpaca, bamboo and glitz. The three ounce batt became roughly 17 yards of two ply, 5 wpi.

Next on the wheel was a Merino & Tussah silk blend from Alpaca Direct. The roving was a blend of red and black with a hint of white silk. I'm leaving this as a single ply at 12 wpi. Four ounces turned into about 103 yards!

Well surely, Eryn, that's enough spinning for one weekend? No, no it's not. And don't call me Shirley!

Eight ounces of superwash merino from The Ranches Angoras in Desert Flower Sparkle. So far it's 105 yards of two-ply; 7 wraps per inch.

I also did a little dying...

Kool-Aid dyes with the boys. If you have kids, know kids, or even feel like a kid, you must do this! It is so much fun to mix and match the packets of Kool-Aid and guess at the colors you'll get. Our yarn ended up with a lot more pink than the monsters were expecting. They've declared it perfect for Sassy's (not yet born) baby girl.

Ta-da! My first "commissioned" yarn! A lovely lady at knit night asked me for kettle dyed turquoise and greens. I've been calling this Pickle because it still smells of vinegar. Nothing a little Soak won't fix!

I did manage to squeeze in a little knitting... I started working on Eiffel from Knitty. Purl three together sucks. It looks great, but it's a serious PITA.

The best thing this weekend? Nutmeg is a mommy! Sunday morning she started serious nest building and was pulling fur by Sunday evening. I bathed the boys, tucked them in, walked back into the living room and...

Babies! Six beautiful kits. I'm guessing three chestnut and three tortoiseshell since those are the parents' colors, but we'll have to wait and see. Of course, I immediately woke up the boys so they could see the babies. They are in love, and so am I!

The Delightful Mrs Darcy

2008-03-07T12:29:00.009-05:00

She's done, she's beautiful, and she's sweet as candy.

I feel dead sexy!

The delightful Mrs. Darcy Cardigan.

Yarn:

Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sport
Baltic Sea
4 skeins

I was drawn to this yarn because of the turquoise and lavender hues; knit up, the main colors are olives and forest greens. It's still beautiful and versatile! The yarn is soft and a joy to work with.

I had five skeins but one went AWOL, and the last skein, even though it was marked as the same dyelot, was lighter than the others. On the front pieces I alternated rows of light stuff and dark stuff, but the front is still quite a bit lighter than the back and sleeves. Let this be a warning to you: never lose your yarn and always check that each skein matches the others before you start your project!

Needles:

Harmony Options size US 10.5/6.5 mm

I didn't want a bulky sweater - duh! I live in Florida - so I knit the sport weight yarn with size 10.5 needles to achieve gauge (16 sts/20 rows=4" Stockinette). My final fabric is loose and airy - perfect for my climate - but has a tendency to grow. I may decide to felt it a tiny, tiny bit to fight that.

Pattern Modifications:

There were a lot! I have never had a 34" bust, and without major surgery, I never will. As I was knitting to gauge, I simply added two inches to the back and one to each front by casting on a total of 16 extra stitches (8 for the back, 4 for each front). God gave me big boobs and skinny arms, so I didn't mess with the armhole shaping at all.

I didn't want a sweater that framed the girls, so I added an extra button (four total) and started the scoop neck shaping 8 rows later than indicated in the pattern. I also did a less dramatic neckline by doubling the rows of shaping. When the pattern called for "Dec 1 st next to buttonhole band on each of the next 5 rows." I decreased 1 stitch next to the buttonhole band on every other row for 10 rows. I made similar changes throughout the scoop neck.

I completely skipped the crochet edging, as my fabric had very little curl. I promise I didn't skip it because I have never crocheted and am a little intimidated by it!

The buttons I originally ordered were the shank style buttons recommended by the pattern. As beautiful as they are, they are too heavy for this sweater. Instead I used plastic four-holed buttons that are very light and very lavender!

Final Thoughts or What I'd Do Next Time:

I love this sweater. It is sweet and comfy, with a hint of sexiness. If I do make another Mrs. Darcy, the only change I would definitely make is increasing the width of the buttonband by a few stitches.

The sleeves as written are very long, perfect if you have freakishly long arms like me. If your arms are more proportionate, keep an eye on the length and start the armhole shaping a few rows earlier than indicated.

The pattern had a few issues; much of the time I forged ahead, trusting my idea of the pattern and not necessarily what was written. I had to keep very careful notes - which is rare for me. But with those notes, I was able to knit five pieces that matched. To me, anything that creates a sweater that I love to wear is a great pattern in the end.

Spinning, Seaming, and... Baseball

2008-03-03T16:11:00.004-05:00

Sorry about that; I lost the alliteration.

We had a very busy weekend here at the House at Two Palms. This weekend marked the opening day of the monsters' T-Ball league. We walked to the ball field for pictures, hotdogs, and bouncy things. Whoever designed those blowup bouncy castles is a genius! The boys looked so cute in their uniforms - hats falling over their ears and socks up to their knees. I still have reservations about this whole Little League thing, but they're having fun so far. I only wish Bubba would stop calling his shoes "clits."

I seamed up Mrs. Darcy and started transferring my notes into a legible format. I'm still waiting for buttons - hopefully they will get here tonight! As soon as buttons are on and all ends are woven in, I will post details on all the modifications.

I also took my borrowed Louet for a test drive! I had some "Canadian wool" to practice with.

The spool on the left is my first attempt - very crazy thick and thin two ply. The spool on the right is much more even, although it is obviously overspun. I haven't weighed the spools or checked wpi - heck, I haven't even set the twist yet!

The monsters are very impressed that I can make my own yarn now. The Bug is hinting that he'd like a sweater I "made from a sheep" and Bubba has stated loudly that he'd like to spin. We have plans to break out the drop spindle next weekend. Hopefully it won't be like the "Teach the Monsters How to Knit" night - those ER co-pays add up quick!

Say Hello to My Little Friend

2008-02-29T14:10:00.003-05:00

Okay - that is very unoriginal, but I couldn't resist. The absolutely most fabulous woman in the world (except for me and Gigi of course) has gone away for the weekend and has agreed to let me baby sit this lovely little thing:

A Louet S10 is always welcome in my house.

I have been mentally jumping up and down with joy since I brought it home last night. I haven't spun anything on it yet, but I will! Last night I practiced running the treadle smoothly and parking and restarting the wheel. Tonight I will spin! Soon you will see pictures of my lovely fiber barf... and maybe some yarn.

As much as I wanted to throw myself into spinning, I knew I had a sweet newlywed waiting for my attention.

Shiny boob!

I sewed in the sleeves and seamed up one side on the Darcy cardi! I'll finish seaming tonight and then she's all done but the buttons. I ordered some fabulous purple glass shank buttons that should pick up the lavender and turquoise quite nicely. As soon as she's seamed, I will post all the details, including mods and yarn.

Hooray for the weekend! Margarita's all around.

It's Not Whooping Cough, It's a Blackout!

2008-02-27T09:53:00.004-05:00

Once again I do not have a traditional WIP Wednesday post for you. The Darci cardi is zooming right along; I hope to be seaming by this weekend. However, I have no new pictures, and really, reading the details of my efforts to make even decreases would be like watching paint dry. So instead, a quick peek into life at A Casa em Duas Palmas.

The week has been very strange. If you've been here before, you'll remember that Bubba got the creeping crud and was very sick last week. Well, the Bug got it this week and was miserable. He spent Monday with me, terrible echoing coughs wracking his little body. If we hadn't been through this before, I would have taken him to the doctor for whooping cough. For some reason, whenever the Bug gets a cough, it echoes and hoots, exactly how I imagine whooping cough sounds. Poor guy! Hugs, cuddles, and enforced rest fixed the cough, and it was back to school and work for us.

Yesterday, the southern half of Florida suffered from a cascading power loss. As the office has a backup generator, this normally would be no big deal. However, this blackout caused a catastrophic failure to our e-mail server so I was effectively shutdown. I've joked before that I can't imagine being a secretary without computers, but it's no longer a joke! Take away my computer and I am a sad and useless secretary. On a positive note, I spent the afternoon knitting at my desk!

Black Tom thought that was a very good use of my time.

Spoiled Sick, Now With Sleeves!

2008-02-24T09:30:00.002-05:00

The monsters were hit hard with the creeping crud this week. Poor Bubba missed three days of school, meaning I missed three days of work. Playing catch up while comforting sick kids is no fun.

Two things stopped the week from being a complete downer: First, I finished sleeves! And they even match! The Darcy cardi is fast approaching completion. I'm on the right front and making many modifications so it's going a little slow. When I'm done I will list all the changes to make this a big bust friendly cardi.

The other thing that brightened my week? A secret Valentine's package! Batty sent me a frabjulous box of VD goodness.

It's almost too much to list! A cute card to make me giggle, chocolate to make me drool, a sweet smelling candle, pink sticky notes, Burt's Bees (!), and Merlin the Cat sock yarn. Not pictured are the crazy Valentine's bunny ears with light up hearts; the Bug confiscated those immediately and has worn them everywhere ever since. Thank you, Batty, for this package designed to make me happy!

This package reinforced some of my ideas about karma and the psychic abilities of knitters. I got to spoil Batty during the winter swap on the Knittyboard; how crazy is it that she got my name for this swap? Even the Merlin yarn has a bit of karma attached. I bought some of Merlin's stitch markers for my secret pal zenbaby and I was drooling over her yarn. I resisted, but I favorited her shop, planning to go back later for myself. Batty beat me to it! Of course Merlin's yarn is so yummy, that I will soon be buying more. The last bit of proof that knitters are psychic is the Burt's Bees head to toe package. Burt's Bees was my original inspiration for making my own soap, and even though I am a soapmaker, I am like the cobbler's daughter - I never have fancy soaps and creams just for me.

So, Batty, is it true? Are you psychic? Is there something in the yarn that rubs off on knitters, giving them paranormal powers?

I think so.

Manly Man Knitting

2008-02-15T16:11:00.005-05:00

It's sad but true: I am not terribly romantic. I don't watch "date movies" or "chick flicks," I don't read bodice rippers, and I don't get wrapped up in Valentine's Day. This year, however, I came to my senses early enough to whip out a few things for The Hairy One.

No Pom Pom for Him

First on the needles was a quick hat, based on Elena. It's knit with Manos del Uruguay 100% wool (#104) on size 11 dpns. I skipped the full three inch fold back, replacing it with one inch of seed stitch. I also skipped the pom pom (duh) and added one more row of decreases. I really liked making this hat - bulky wools mean quick knits.

The hat is warm and stretchy, the colors are fabulous, and The Hairy One is ecstatic.

Real Men Wear Fingerless Gloves Too

Still on the needles is the second fingerless glove. I had about half a ball of the variegated Manos left, so I combined it with this lovely creamy tan and made up the pattern. I have to hurry up and finish the second one - he wants to take them to the Daytona 500 on Sunday, just in case it gets cold.

Did you notice the giant eyeball above my couch? Bubba painted that for us when he was four. It's party streamers pasted and painted on the canvas board. He told us he had an elephant eye inside and it had to get out. That is teh awesome.

Adventures in Felting

2008-02-13T16:36:00.007-05:00

I've been playing with felting with both good and bad results. First the success:

As a Valentine's Day surprise, I knitted a pair of Fuzzy Feet for a friend. I'm pretty sure she doesn't read the blog, but I still won't name any names. These were so fun! They were knit with a little bit more than one skein of Dark Horse Yarns Rhapsody on size 11 dpns.

I felted them to about a size 10/12 foot; my friend will finish the felting until they fit her perfectly.

Next in the washer was a why not purse. I had some leftovers and thought I'd play around. I ended up with this:

Now bear with me. Have you ever had an argument and realized half way through that the argument was really about something else? That happened when The Hairy One saw the bag.

"That would make a great diaper bag for your sister," says he.

"No honey, it's going to be felted. It'll be a little purse."

"It would make a great diaper bag."

I folded the bag in quarters to show him the finished size. "Honey, I'm going to felt it; it'll end up this big."

"You should turn it into a diaper bag."

"If I felt it, it will be too small. If I don't felt it, it won't be strong enough."

"It would make a great diaper bag." My husband was adamant.

"You just want another baby, don't you" I said.

"Maybe," he said in a small voice.

This conversation stuck to the little purse that never was a diaper bag like a karmic cloud. When I tossed it in the wash, I thought - it's big enough, I can skip the lingerie bag.

Bad idea. The bag got caught on the agitator and only shrunk one way. Even after multiple runs through the machine, I have the world's longest and shallowest purse. I'm going to have to give it to a random ten year old girl.

And in case you're getting your hopes up, there will be no babies at The House at Two Palms in the near future. Maybe after The Hairy One finishes school, but I doubt it. I love my boys, but two are enough. If we could guarantee a girl... honestly, we'd end up with the most spoiled little princess (brat) on God's green earth.

Adoption is an option though :P

Secret Spoilage

2008-02-08T06:03:00.000-05:00

On Wednesday, after another long day at the office, I came home to the most delightful thing: a package just for me! Wishful Thinking on the Knittyboard sent me a big box of goodies. I really should have taken a picture before tearing into the packages because everything was wrapped so beautifully, but I couldn't wait! Just look at the goodies inside:

11 hours a day at work means bad flash photography

Chocolate - including Trader Joe's chocolate covered pretzels and The Chocolate Traveler wedges, yum - hilarious snarky postcards, a cell phone cozy knit just for me, a sweet card, and three skeins of yarn!

Smooshy!

Mmmm malabrigo (my first!), Elsebeth Lavold Silky Wool, and a yarn oddity by the fabulous Ms. Pixie Riot! I will have to update you later on the colorways since I'm away from my yarn right now.

Last but not least, a little pot of daffodils, their green shots just peeking out of the dirt. I love daffodils, and they are one of the few things I miss from our days in Tennessee. Wishful Thinking - you must be psychic!

Thank you for brightening up my day.

Stoopid Cat!

2008-02-05T11:03:00.001-05:00

First - thank you everyone for your kind comments on Cherie Amour. It was my first full-sized sweater, plus it was a gift for my favorite pregnant sister, so it had to be just right. I'm pretty gosh darn proud.

Earlier today, I was wasting time, scrolling through Lolcats when I saw this:

moar funny pictures

and I was reminded of something that happened a few weeks ago at work.

I was running out to grab a sandwich for lunch. As I drove my car through the parking lot, I saw a terrible, terrible thing. It was a cat, flat on its back, with its head twisted at an unnatural angle. Now remember, I keep house for cats and am well aware of their boneless poses; even Contortionist Kitty would have been uncomfortable sprawled like that.

My first thought was, "Oh shit, someone ran over a cat in my parking lot and just left it there." My heart started pounding and my breath grew ragged as my mind started playing a macabre slide show: me picking up the stiff body; me trying to save the severely injured cat and hurting it even more; me being savaged by the pain-maddened, rabid cat; me being chased by zombie cat (Pet Sematary scared the crap out of me).

At the same time, I was trying to remember how to get to the nearest animal hospital. I debated the pros and cons of running back in the office for directions versus saving time by grabbing the cat and driving hell bent for leather. I had just decided I would risk a police escort and go sans directions when I pulled even with the poor kitty's body.

I had my hands on the door, ready to jump out of the car and whisk the cat to medical care and safety. My brakes squeaked the tiniest bit as I stopped. That stupid cat jumped up, shot me a look of utter disdain, and wandered off in disgust that I had ruined a perfectly good nap.

Stupid cat.

Cherie Amour at 3:00 a.m.

2008-01-31T14:33:00.000-05:00

Or Finally an FO!

Saturday night I stayed up until o'dark thirty, madly seaming Sassy's Cherie Amour. There could be no more procrastination - the sweater was scheduled to get on a plane at 4:30 Sunday morning. I finished, bribed my Mom to take some quick pics, and said goodbye to the never-ending sleeves.

Don't you love my jammies?

This sweater is gorgeous, and if I didn't suffer from sleevitis, it would be a very fast knit. Except for the yarn sub, I did no modifications to the pattern. I originally planned to do two of these, one for my sister and one for me. The pattern is so flattering that I will definately knit the second! When I do it again, I will make some slight mods by lengthening the "skirt" and starting the ribbing just above my hipbones.

The details:

Cherie Amour, Knitty Fall 2007, size M (38)

US #13 and # 9 circular needles, 24-inch lengths (Addi Turbos)

Classic Elite Renaissance, 100% wool, 7114 Denim, 8 hanks. I kettle dyed the yarn with blues, aquas, and purples for a very sublte varigation. The yarn is not as soft as some wool blends (merino comes to mind), but it is perfect for a sweater like this. It shows off the stitch definition perfectly and holds its shape nicely.

Even kitteh loves this sweater!

I haven't heard from Sassy yet - she won't be able to wear it for many months yet. She is fat and happy, pregnant with my very first niece! Squee! If anyone deserves a sweater...

Not a traditional WIP Wednesday

2008-01-23T18:26:00.000-05:00

My list of WIPs has not changed significantly since my last post, so instead I give you soap!

Fishermen's Soap is the latest from Turtle Cove Soaps. It is made with Anise Seed Essential Oil, which, besides smelling fabulously like black licorice, has the curious property of removing all traces of human scent. I designed this soap for fishermen, hunters, and anyone who enjoys nature. My husband and his fishing buddies have given it their seal of approval!

Speaking of The Hairy One, did you notice the cute turtle print on each soap? That is from one of the soap stamps he gave me for Christmas. It is perfect!

And, since this is a knitting blog, check out this shot from the Bass Pro Shop in Macon, Georgia:

Obviously if your husband fishes or hunts, you pine at home with random balls of yarn.

Unexpected Guests, the Plague, and Sleevitis

2008-01-21T16:44:00.000-05:00

Last weekend my aunt and uncle stopped by while on their cross country trip. It was great to visit with them, but I think they brought the plague. Whether they carried some mutant virus from the Great Plains or I ran myself down with the holidays, road trips, and visitors, I have had the cold from hell all week.

It's been so bad that I haven't been able to lurk at my favorite blogs or even hang out on Ravelry. The plus side is I got a lot of knitting done while watching bad day-time TV. I planned to work diligently on Sassy's Cherie Amour, but I had crippling sleevitis. Instead, I knit a very simple twisted wrap with the Trendsetter Venus yarn I picked up at Hanks. I used a provisional cast on with a garter stitch seam to create seamless shoulder wrap. It shows the variations in yarns and textures beautifully! I have a bit left; I think I will do a very narrow, very long scarf.

I also cast on Mrs. Darcy, finished the back, and started the sleeves. I'm using Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sport and size 10 needles to match the gauge called for in the pattern. It has made a light and lacy fabric, perfect for Florida! The Lorna's Laces is soo soft. I love it!

Did you notice that I knit the back, skipped the fronts, and went straight to the sleeves? I thought that might circumvent my sleevitis. Maybe it's not sleevitis; maybe I just get bored with a project near the end and... Nope, it's sleevitis.

I have put a lot of thought into this disorder over the last week. First, I must qualify that I have freakishly long arms. According to da Vinci, a person's height is supposed to be equal to her wingspan measured fingertip to fingertip, across the shoulders. Well, I am 66 inches tall, and my wingspan is 70 inches. Four full inches difference! I should be in a side show.

So, when I knit sleeves, it takes an extra long time. However, my sleevitis cannot be simply blamed on my freakishness. Think about knitting the front of a sweater. You knit four inches, hold it up to your body, and look! you've knit from your hipbone to your belly button! Now think about knitting two sleeves. It's often the same number of stitches, so it should be just as exciting. However, you knit four inches, hold it up to your arm, and you've knit to your wrist. Hardly exciting.

I think we need support groups for sleevitis. Special stitch and bitches devoted strictly to sleeves. "Hi, my name is Eryn, and I have sleevitis. I have knit two half sleeves since our last meeting."

Even without the support group, I forced myself to knit Sassy's sleeves. They are officially done and blocking. I will be embarking on the grand adventure that is seaming as soon as all the pieces are dry.

Until then, I have much blogstalking to catch up on. First, my worst habit. I think it's obvious that my worst habit is procrastination. I will do nothing today that can be put off 'til tomorrow! The next assignment is a snap-shot of our knitting needles.

Here you see my needle drawer, including my brand new Options Harmony set (Whee!). So far I love them; they are beautiful: smooth with just enough grip that I don't lose my stitches. Maybe they can help me fight sleevitis!

Road Trip, Part Two

2008-01-09T17:57:00.000-05:00

If Hanks was like coming home, Knitch was like going to temple. A. maze. ing.

I was a little worried that we would have trouble finding Knitch, because they are tucked away in an alley in midtown Atlanta, Georgia. However, their website provides exquisite directions and we had no problems.

When I saw the oddball knitting wrought iron statue guarding the door, I knew that everything was fabulous. The store is an older building that has been stripped down to the original hardwood and brick. Discreet spotlights highlight the fabulous colors and upstairs in the dye loft, huge windows let in natural light. The walls are literally floor to ceiling yarn. If I had one complaint, it would be that some yarns are on shelves seven feet up. It's a good thing I dragged the Hairy One with me!

I had a chance to fondle yarns I've only read about: Rowan, Blue Sky Alpaca, Manos del Uruguay.... It was a complete drool-fest. At one point my very patient husband even joined the fun: "That is soo cool! That would make an awesome sweater." Any yarn store that entices my husband gets a thumbs up from me!

Next: all the fibery goodness I came home with.

Road Trip, Part One

2008-01-07T21:30:00.002-05:00

We just spent the extended weekend on a road trip, driving from Central Florida to Atlanta, Georgia. And of course, because I hang out with the cool kids, we had to schedule many (yarn) breaks on the way.

First on the list was Hanks in Gainesville, Florida. A more fabulous place I cannot imagine.
The yarn selection is drool worthy and even includes their own hand-spun and hand-dyed yarns. I rolled in the Malabrigo, admired the Cherry Tree Hill, and succumbed to Lorna's Laces. I even thought (briefly) of taking up sock knitting because of the fabulous sock yarns on display.

We stopped at Hanks again on our way back home, only to find we had just missed SnB (heartbreaking!). Next time, I will definitely plan my road trip around Hanks' SnB.

If you find yourself in Gainesville, swing by Hanks and have a cup of organic coffee with Sharon, Ginger, Lorena, and Hank. Tell 'em Eryn sent you.

Tomorrow: The religious experience that is Knitch.

Go back and click on Hank - don't hurt his feelings!

Going on a Roadtrip

2008-01-03T07:18:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year to one and all! I've been avoiding the year-end reflection and resolution post. It sounds trite, but every day is the beginning of a new year. Every day is worthy of reflection and resolution. So instead of a list of what I've done in the last year or what I'm going to do this year, I give you my pre-roadtrip post!

We are about to get in the car to drive to Atlanta. Because of the monsters' limited patience and The Hairy One's bad back, what is normally an eight hour drive will be at least twelve hours. The plus side? I have mapped out new yarn stores to visit!

I am really a one LYS kind of girl. I love All Strung Out and the fabulous Gigi. But I cannot pass up the opportunity to visit new and wonderful places! On the agenda this weekend is Hanks in Gainesville, Florida, and Knitch in Atlanta, Georgia. When I get back, I will give a full report on both.

And since I can't post without pictures, I give you the Helicopter of Evil and the Avenging Dog.

Secret Christmas Knitting Revealed

2007-12-30T15:36:00.000-05:00

Phew - the craziness of the holidays is finally over. My super secret knit gifts were well received, I am pleased to say. My mother was the proud recipient of Urchin.

Here you see it blocking in all its glory. This was knit with Reynolds Andean Alpaca Regal, a glorious yarn - soft, smooshy, and loverly. If you count, you will see I only knit seven wedges; it was getting rather large, so I called it "good 'nuff." Mom says it's still a little big; she'll try to gently felt it.

My sister Yaya got a pair of Fetching fingerless mitts and a matching headband, both knit with Classic Elite Inca Alpaca. I cannot say enough about this yarn. I love love love it. I'll be buying more for sweaters for both the Hairy One and me.

The picture is dark - it's actually the Stonewashed Mix. Yaya says they match her coat perfectly.

In other holiday related news, Santa made a special trip to our house on the 23rd to bring the monsters tickets to Disney World. We went on Christmas Eve and had sooo much fun. The crowds were insane, the lines were long, and the food was ridiculously over-priced. To balance out that negative, the park was beautiful, everyone was cheerful, and my monsters were impeccably polite and well-mannered. We had no major melt-downs or blow outs. My kids rock.

I also had a chance to revel in my passive-aggressive bitchiness while at the park. Let me set the stage: it's about half an hour before the light parade; areas of the "streets" are roped off for spectators to sit and watch the parade; the only open area is right behind the only group standing (all adults) . Enter stage right: Super Bitch Mom!

In a very loud, sugary-sweet voice I tell my children, "This is perfect, guys! This is the area where everyone sits to watch the parade, so everyone gets to see. As soon as the parade starts, everyone will sit and everyone will get to see the beautiful floats."

It was fabulous! The standers looked around, realized they were standing in a sea of sitting spectators, and they hightailed it out of there. We had a great view of the parade, and the other parents near us quietly applauded me. I am a queen; I just need a castle.

Sad News for Pratchett Fans

2007-12-12T11:41:00.000-05:00

Terry Pratchett says it best in his own words.

Only he could make me laugh while annoucing such sad news.

Who's got the Mojo?

2007-12-08T06:24:00.001-05:00

Today is going to make or break my holiday mojo. We start the day with the Reindeer Run, a 5K run/walk held every year in our hometown. Bubba and Bug will be running about half the run this year; I'll follow them on my jingle-bike.

Next, we rush off to Breakfast with Santa. The jolly old elf makes a special appearance every year to have pancakes with the kids and raise money for needy families. Last year Bug was in tears from the excitement; hopefully this year is not so traumatic.

So, you'd think that would be enough, no? No. We still have the library book sale and the holiday parade.... I haven't even mentioned the holiday knitting that must be finished this weekend! Sheesh.

I will definitely need my favorite invention of the twentieth century.

I was tempted to list myself as my favorite invention, but I resisted! This is the one thing that I will immediately replace should it break.

If you look at my sidebar, you will see I have finally launched my Etsy store, Turtle Cove Soaps, handmade at the House at Two Palms. Take a minute to visit the store and send me a convo to tell me what you think. I have listed the best of my goats milk and specialty soaps, and of course I'll be adding more as the pass my exacting standards. Right now, I am working hard in my secret laboratory, developing a knitter's salve. It will soon be for sale in my Etsy store and my LYS All Strung Out.

Not for Ed or the Faint of Heart

Sorry, Ed; you may not want to see this.

We've decided Bubba is part shark.

Things you never expected to learn

2007-11-30T21:50:00.000-05:00

I give you the Coolest Thing Ever.

I started this rubber band ball over three years ago, adding two or three rubberbands with each day's mail delivery. I started it because, really, what else do you do with 3,000 rubberbands? I never expected that it would be the Coolest Thing Ever.

The story starts on Wednesday. The monsters had a doctor appointment, and they each had shots. They were such troopers! I gave them some acetaminophen, ice cream and ice packs, and we thought all was well.

Thursday, Bubba tells me that his head hurt so bad at night that he couldn't sleep. Being an extremely scientific mom, I put the back of my hand on his forehead, and sure enough, he was running a fever. His school has a "No Fever" policy, so Bubba went to work with me! He camped out in a conference room with cartoons, color crayons, and a sketch pad in the morning.

After lunch, Bubba was feeling great. He even helped me stuff envelopes! (Trust me, that's love.) He was prowling through my office while I tried to write letters and sort files when he said, "Mom! What's that?!?"

"What's what?"

"That super cool ball?"

The rest of the afternoon was shot. We went outside on the green and played with the rubberband ball. Let me tell you, this thing can bounce. It loses almost no kinetic energy! Roll it against a wall and it will come tearing back at you at Mach 10.

I don't think I have ever had so much fun at work. And it really was a productive day.

To give you some idea of its size, here's another shot of the Coolest Thing Ever. It is roughly four inches in diameter when measured with my thumb.

Peek-a-Boo is less than impressed.

Whoo - Hoo!

2007-11-27T10:40:00.000-05:00

Found you!
You signed up on November 5, 2007
You are #53428 on the list.
13 people are ahead of you in line.
9130 people are behind you in line.
84% of the list has been invited so far

Sudsy Interlude

2007-11-25T16:38:00.000-05:00

I've been playing with colors in my soap. Both goats milk and olive oil soaps are notoriously hard to color, and my soaps are heavy in both. This is what I've got so far:

Plumberry

The Plumberry was supposed to be a soft shade of pink swirled into the soap. Instead I've got a blush of pink on top of the soap. Oh well, it's still pretty!

Forest's Edge

This is a mix of sweetgrass and juniper scents. It is a soothing blend of sweet and earthy, and currently one of my favorites. Unfortunately, the soap moved too fast for swirling, so I layered the colors. The end result inspired the name Forest's Edge.

I'm antsy to keep going on this learning curve, but I had to order more supplies. They should arrive on Wednesday. Until then, I guess I'll knit!

You know you want them

2007-11-23T20:01:00.001-05:00

No craftiness tonight, my friends, just pictures of my monsters. Last night Bug was so tired he couldn't even get in the chair. Poor guy.

And Bubba's mouth has gone into overload. His adult tooth is about to burst through his lip!

There's no pain, and the tooth underneath the swelling is almost out, so we're not worried. It just looks so gross!

A Day of Thanksgiving

2007-11-22T18:37:00.001-05:00

On this day of reflection, I find my thoughts turning to my family. I am thankful to have a wonderful husband and loving children, and I am especially thankful for my step-father's family. They took me in as a shy five year old, lost and uncertain and taught me how to love matter of fact-ly and unconditionally. They gave me many holiday traditions that I am now passing on to my children. One of my favorite traditions is serving Vareniki at holiday meals.

Vareniki are Ukrainian dumplings, a food staple in many homes. They are usually stuffed with potatoes, much like perogi, but Dad's mother's were always stuffed with cheese curds and baked in cream. Her recipe, written in her careful copperplate hand, simply listed the ingredients. The details were shared with her daughters, who in turn taught me.

I have made this dish every year for Thanksgiving and Christmas. I've shared it with friends, neighbors, and coworkers, and now I share it with you.

Christine's Vareniki
Ingredients for dough
3 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
water

Ingredients for stuffing
12 ounces large curd cottage cheese
1 egg

12 ounces heavy cream (unsweetened)

Press the whey (liquid) from the curds (solid) with a cheesecloth.

In a medium mixing bowl, add the egg to the cheese curds and mix gently. In a separate bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, and salt. Slowly mix in water to make a smooth, elastic dough.

Roll out dough to 1/8 inch and cut into 3 inch circles. Fill the center of each circle with cheese filling, fold over and press the edges together.
Gently place the dumplings in boiling water for three to five minutes, until they float.
Using a slotted spoon, remove them from the water and layer in a large baking dish. Pour heavy cream over the dumplings and bake covered in a 350* oven for one hour.
Sprinkle with brown sugar and enjoy.
Mmmmm yummy. I'm also thankful I made enough for leftovers!

A Free Pattern! Cabled Headband/Ear Warmer

2007-11-20T15:38:00.000-05:00

I finished my Fetching little mitts.

Yarn: Bouton d'Or Songe
Colorway: ? My monsters stole my colorway! It's the purple one.
Modifications: As my yarn was much lighter than that called for, I added one cable round at the wrist and four rib rounds before the thumb.

And I decided to make a matching headband with the left-over yarn. When knit with the same weight yarn, this will make a nice, warm headband, thick enough to cover your ears. Again, my yarn is much thinner, making my headband much daintier.

Using cable cast on, CO 120 stitches, join in a round, being careful not to twist stitches. Place a stitch marker or safety at the join to mark the beginning of the round.

Row 1-4: *k4, p1* repeat to end

Row 5: *CB4, p1, CF4, p1* repeat to end

Row 6: *k4, p1* repeat 20 times (100 stitches) k4, w&t

Row 7: *p4, k1* repeat 17 times (85 stitches) p4, w&t

Row 8: *k4, p1* repeat 14 times (70 stitches) k4, w&t

Row 9: *p4, k1* repeat 11 times (55 stitches) p4, w&t

Row 10: *k4, p1* repeat 14 times (70 stitches) k4, w&t

Row 11: *p4, k1* repeat 17 times (85 stitches) p4, w&t

Row 12: *k4, p1* repeat to end

Row 13: *CB4, p1, CF4, p1* repeat to end
Row 14-17: *k4, p1* repeat to end
Bind off all stitches loosely. Weave in ends.

To make this larger or smaller, add or subtract 10's of stitches (10, 20, 30). My headband is 22 inches.

I've also added Haloscan to my blog. Supposedly, this will help manage comments and give me the ability to email replies. One drawback is all comments from before the installation are no longer available. So thank you, dear commentators! I have not deleted your valuable input, and I look forward to hearing from you again! :P

From one end to the other

2007-11-17T18:19:00.000-05:00

Wednesday and Thursday were utterly awful. I took stock, I hugged my kids, I cuddled my furbabies, and I knitted. My outlook is much brighter now!

I've finished the body of Cherie Amour. Hooray! I am doing something crazy with the sleeves. If I'm successful, I'll tell you all about it. If I'm not, I'll make some drunken post railing against the knitting gods.

Blue on blue on blue

I finally had a chance to take a picture of this in sunlight. Can you see the beautiful, subtle variegation? I am so gosh darn proud of myself! My sister had better love this! As a side note, before binding off the shoulders, I tried this on. The Hairy One's reaction was, "Wow!"

I am definitely making one of these for me!

Pet me, I'm shiny

And even though I have sooo many hedgehogs to knit, I cast on Fetching on Friday. This yarn is a gorgeous kid mohair/viscose mix. It is fuzzy and shiny! It's thinner than the yarn called for in the pattern, but by knitting a little loose (very easy for me on dpns!) I've found only my row gauge is off. I added one more cable round, and I am adding four rib rounds before the thumb.

I won't finish both of these this weekend, unless there is a series of miracles, but they should be done shortly. I really like these, but if I don't finish enough hedgehogs, I may be giving them away!

Why won't I finish these super easy, knit 'em in a weekend fingerless gloves? The Hairy One's back is wonky again. He spent the day in bed, and I had to stand in for him at a birthday party. I spent my afternoon manning the grill while teenagers and young children ran screaming. I don't think they were screaming because of my grilling prowess, but I'm not sure. The burgers were juicy, but the hotdogs were the weird red ones. They were rather frightening!

Now don't get me wrong, I am not a hermit, but I am not a fan of crowds or small talk or bullsh*t. Remember the line from Steel Magnolias: "Well, you know what they say: if you don't have anything nice to say about anybody, come sit by me!" That's me. It's fun in the right mix, but not this afternoon. I grilled, I read, I reminded my monsters not to kill each other or anyone else, and I knitted. I am such a social misfit!

The highlight was when Bubba proudly announced to another child, "Do you know what my Mom can do? She can knit! She made me a hedgehog and ear warmers and she's making a sweater!" My kid's proud of me! I'm enjoying it now, because I know it won't last.

After that fabulous afternoon, I went straight to my knitting chair, ready to watch some juicy crime shows on DVR. Black Tom told me in no uncertain terms that I was not sitting down.

I'm sitting in your chair

After cleaning up the blood and retrieving my dpns from the drop ceiling, I decided Tom could have the chair for a little bit longer. I'm going to see if he's done.

Dance, Magic, Dance

2007-11-16T19:03:00.000-05:00

For everyone on the knittyboard....

Love me some Goblin King!

Secret Squirrel Has a Bad Day

2007-11-15T17:44:00.001-05:00

One of the drawbacks to my job is that sometimes bad things happen that affect me deeply, and I can't talk about them. Today was awful.

All I can say about it is hug your children. Squeeze them until they squeal. Tell your loved ones how much they mean to you. Don't wait. Don't take anything for granted.

French fries do not contaminate your hot dog!*

2007-11-14T18:04:00.000-05:00

Bleck. It was a craptastic day at work today. Thank the powers that be that it's knit night tonight! Two or three hours of nothing but knitting and kvetching! Whoo-wee do I need that.

Enough whining.... Here's some knitting:

Cherie Amour

Want to know a dirty little secret? I can count or I can knit lace. I can't do both at the same time. I have ripped the bodice lace on this three times. I'm now eight rows past the armhole division. I've decided to knit both fronts and the back at the same time (because I'm insane!). Actually, there is a method to my madness. I know that there is no way I could make all three pieces exactly the same length if I knit them separate. This sweater is for my sister Sassy, a birthday/Christmas gift. It may be done before she has her baby.

Wait... don't I have a baby cardi on the needles? Yep! And no progress. I've reached the hood and I am bored to tears. I have six inches to go and six months to finish it.

And, even though I needed to do two, I finished one hedgehog this weekend. He's brown and black and impossible to photograph without sunlight. Bubba loves him.

Last but not least, Blogstalking Week 9. (Is it really week 9? Well, Week Whatever!) The assignment is a pic of your junk drawer. I don't have a junk drawer, I have a junk room. Our master bedroom is really a mother-in-law suite, something I had never heard of until moving to Florida. Our bedroom has a teeny-tiny kitchen that doubles as my secret laboratory.

Most of the junk is stuffed in the shoe boxes. See the soap drying on the rack? Yummy Plumberry and "Forest's Edge," my blend of juniper breeze and sweet grass. It is fabulous!

*Yet another title stolen from conversations with the monsters. The Bug had a meltdown because his french fries landed on his hot dog. It's a terrible thing.

When soap goes rogue

2007-11-11T08:39:00.000-05:00

Soap making is an art, but it's also a science. At its most basic, soap is made through the chemical reaction between a base and an acid. The fatty acids found in oils create specific properties in the soap, and each fatty acid reacts differently with the sodium hydroxide. The responsible soap maker carefully calculates these reactions and measures the ingredients as accurately as possible. In a perfect environment this would create the perfect soap every time.

However, there are three main variables that can interfere with this chemical reaction. They are heat, humidity, and the homogeneous blending of the ingredients. I will talk about heat and humidity in other articles. It is the importance of proper blending that is occupying my mind at the moment.

In properly blended soap, the sodium hydroxide reacts in its entirety with the fatty acids in the oils. No sodium hydroxide will remain in the final product. Most modern soap makers use stick blenders to achieve this even mixing of the soap ingredients.

Recently, I made a goats milk and oatmeal soap. As it was curing, it continuously wept oil. This is not a good sign! When I took it out of the mold, this is what I saw.

Click to enlarge

In this soap, the ingredients were not mixed homogeneously, allowing pockets of sodium hydroxide to form. Note the uneven colors and the vertical lines between layers. Those vertical lines are sodium hydroxide crystals, leftover due to uneven mixing.

This soap has gone into the trash, and my stick blender has been replaced. I shouldn't see this again for a very long time (knock on wood). However, this experience underscores the importance of testing the pH of every batch of soap. Soap, whether handmade or commercial, should have a pH of 9-10. Any higher, and the soap will be too harsh on the skin; any lower, and the soap won't be able to clean.

If the soap fairy should visit you with a bad batch of soap, remember each one is a learning experience. Put your gloves back on and try again!

Happy soaping!

I'd rather they get botulism than whine*

2007-11-11T08:01:00.000-05:00

Once again, while in the car, Bubba was trying to decipher the universe. The following is as close to his words as possible.....

"Mom, I think I know how God grew up."

"Really?" said I.

"I think that God's mom and dad died when He was still in His mom's body. When He got to heaven, all the spirits were so happy that they raised Him to be the leader. Now He's in charge of the whole universe."

I wanted to ask so many questions: Who made the universe? What happened to God's mom and dad? But I was too busy trying to hide my laughter.

*I actually said this. The Hairy One made me promise to put it in the blog.

Finally a Finished Object!

2007-11-09T17:04:00.000-05:00

First read this. I still need a few volunteers to test soap; you know you want to!

I've been promising pics of the Pretty in Pink Tank.
This is not a perfect sweater, but I've been wearing it! I bound off a little too tightly, and the straps will not stop curling.... I've taken to wearing it inside out to keep the straps in line. This pattern was quick and easy to follow; perfect for a first sweater.

I've still got the baby cardi on the needles, but I'm in the final stretch of stockinette for the hood and it's boring!

So, to keep my sanity, I started Cherie Amour! I plan on doing this sweater twice. The first time will be without modifications for my sister Sassy, the second time will be for me, with lots of mods. I've found this to be a very quick, satisfying knit, but I also know that many have been frustrated with various design elements. We'll see how it goes.

This is yarn that I over-dyed color on color to create a very subtle variegation. It came out perfectly, IMHO! I'm trying to get a good pic of it, but with the time change, I can't seem to take pictures in sunlight. This pic was taken in the parking lot at work (while all the other mindless drones wondered what the hell I was doing!).

And last but not least, I've calculated that I need to knit at least two hedgehogs this weekend. That's the only way I'll finish them all in time for the holidays! Hermione had her debut at the LYS on Wednesday; she was greeted with critical acclaim and applause.

Well, if I'm going to knit two hedgies this weekend, I'd better get cracking!

The Angel of Death needs to speak with you

2007-11-07T13:29:00.000-05:00

We're doing some remodeling at the office and the project manager's name is Azrael. No one here understands why I laugh like a mad woman when they say, "Azrael has a question for you."

I'm not surprised

2007-11-07T13:06:00.001-05:00

The Breakfast of Champions*

2007-11-06T18:35:00.000-05:00

Please note that the breakfast items are on the car. I know it's horrible and the super cool Allstate guy says I'll go to hell for it, but I eat on my commute.

*I've now got "We Are The Champions" ala Chicken Little in my head. Also, did you notice the addition to my dashboard? I love my monsters.....

Calling All Brave Souls

2007-11-06T10:04:00.001-05:00

Although inspired by all the knitty blogs out there, I originally started this blog to talk about soap making. It's been three months, and I only have one post about soap..... Silly girl.

So, tra-la! *furls arms like a magician's assistant* Beautiful handmade soap!

This is Naked Goat Soap, a goat’s milk soap with no added fragrances. It naturally has a soft, sweet, milky scent. The goat's milk combined with nourishing olive and rice bran oils and luxurious mango butter gently cleanse without stripping your skin's natural oils.
And the all-time favorite (so far): Almond Biscotti Kitchen Soap. This is a gentle yet hardworking soap to combat those persistent kitchen smells: onions? garlic? This soap knocks them all down without drying your skin! Cocoa butter soothes while fresh coffee grinds scrub and whisk away stinkiness. And the scent? Divine chocolate amaretto.... Mmmm yummy!*

For those of you who've made it all the way here, you're probably wondering "What's the deal with the title?" Well, I need soap-testing volunteers. My friends and family have happily tested my soaps for years, but they can only wash so many times a day! Plus, I'm not sure they are as brutally honest as they should be.

So, if you are feeling brave and love fancy schmancy soaps, send an email to twopalms @ cfl dot rr dot com (or click on the sidebar). I will randomly send you samples of my latest creations with a detailed ingredient list and a tentative name of the soap. All you have to do in return is give me an honest critique.

Why the sudden largesse? I will be opening an Etsy store soon, and I want to hook as many customers as possible before hand. Okay, not really, but I would like to take the next step of soap for profit (yeah, right - no one makes money on soap). Before I invest in the local round of spring craft fairs, I'd like to know which soaps are popular across the largest spectrum of people.

You know you're curious!

*Do not eat soap! No matter how good it smells. Really. It won’t taste good at all.

Happy Birthday Bubba!

2007-11-03T06:02:00.000-04:00

Bubba turned six years old this weekend! He's grown up so fast.... We went to the Renaissance Faire, as we do every year. We were halfway through the two hour drive when I realized I forgot the camera! Crap.

This year the fire eater Johnny Phoenix used my lighter to start the show! You have to understand that the Hairy One and I have been inadvertently stalking this guy for seven years now. We saw him at our first ren-fair together, and he has been at every ren-fair since. He does a hilarious show! If you ever get a chance to see him - take it. You won't be disappointed. I was going to talk to him after the show - maybe joke a little about stalking him, but I got too shy and chickened out. There's always next year.

The finale at the ren-faire every year is the royal joust to the death. Every year the bad guy cheats and kills the good knight (sorry for ruining it for you!). Every year, my sweet monsters have to check to make sure he's not really dead..... "I know this is really pretend, but I just want to make sure he's okay."

Speaking of the monsters, how about Halloween costumes? Bug is the knight, Bubba is the skeleton monster. I've been thinking of ways to knit "armor" for the boys. I'm thinking a shiny silver/gray yarn, DK or worsted weight, knitted in garter stitch on size 13 needles..... Maybe for next year!

Here's an awkward segue into crazy projects: my first two hedgies are done! They are desperately cute, if I do say so myself. Hermione, the pink one, will go on display at All Strung Out. Hedgie is destined to become Bug's best friend. I have three more to make: Bubba's in brown and black, Sassy's in purple and burgundy, and Yaya's in green and orange. Here's the details:

Hermione Hedgehog
Pattern: Fiber Trends Hedgehogs
Yarn: Approximately 165 yards Dark Horse Yarns Rhapsody 100% Merino color # 71; 100 yards each Dark Horse Yarns Metal Wink, yellow and pink. I skipped the darker color for the paws.
Needles: US 10 1/2 (6.5 mm) for the body and US 11 (8 mm) for the back. After the first hedgehog, I also used US 8 to pick up the stitches for the back, then knitted those onto the 11's.

Notes: These knit up super fast! It's instant gratification. A few observations, though: I found it so much easier to pick up the stitches for the back with smaller needles; when I did that, I didn't end up with holes I had to sew up later. The back is done is a series of short rows - great practice for me! I would strongly recommend that you do not put the hedgehog down in the middle of the series. You will become completely lost! (Or is that just me?)

All in all I love these guys. They are sooo cute!!

Finally, I am very behind on Blogstalking. Last week's assignment was the oldest picture of yourself you have. I wasn't sure what I'd find for this. About four years ago we had a house fire and lost almost everything. We were able to save some pictures, but they were all damaged. I haven't had the heart to go through them in any detail until now.... Forgive the crappy quality of the picture of a picture. My scanner at work died, and I can't get my photo editing program to work here at the house.

That little black dot is my head! The gorgeous woman reading is my mom. I love the fact that she is intently reading while nursing; I did the same thing with my monsters.

I'm Back!

2007-11-01T08:09:00.000-04:00

So last Wednesday our modem craps out. We get on the phone with Tech Support and they are adamant that it is not the modem.... I changed out the NIC card (yay me!) replaced the cords - nothing. Back on the phone with Tech Support and they still say it must be something with the computer. I check the settings, the firewalls, the filter - the stupid thing should be working!

Finally they send a guy. He says, "I don't know" (after replacing 99% of the hardware). They send another guy. After three hours, it's fixed, but he doesn't know what caused the problem or how he fixed it. I love computers! And I love Tech Support!

So, mad catch up! First, a Day in the Life at the House at Two Palms:

That sums it up. The only consistent thing day to day is my coffee.

Next, some Works in Progress. These are actually a week late.

I've been working on a baby cardi for my little sister's peanut. I've decided that I need to knit more baby clothes. Talk about instant gratification!

I am so excited to finally be an aunt. Sassy is due in May, and that baby will have the most hand-knit items of any child in our family! This sweater only has three inches on the sleeves and finishing left. It's kind of an "Oh Duh" thing, but I've been knitting both sleeves at the same time.

I've also joined the Hedgehog craze. These guys knit up so fast that it's easy to see why so many people are making them. At the time of the picture, we were trying to decide between the orange and the teal funfur. The orange made him look like a team mascot, so I went with the teal.

I took him to knit night last week, and the fabulous Gigi was so taken with him, that she asked me to make one for the store. She gave me some wool that they are thinking of carrying; I get to be the first to test it! It is absolutely fabulous, smooshy marino wool. I'll get pics and details up soon.

Hedgie and Hermione are done and awaiting felting. I will be making at least three more, so you will soon be sick and tired of hedgehogs!

In other news, I finished the Pretty in Pink tank. Pics and pattern notes soon; I'm still waiting to get both sunshine and a photographer at the same time. I had to frog the Shapely Tank: I was knitting it in a cotton blend that did not take well to the pattern. I've got a light wool blend to try, and I'm adjusting the pattern to knit in the round.

I will add this week's wip's, catch up on Blogstalking, and post pics of the monsters in their Halloween finery soon.

God Speed Discovery

2007-10-24T06:50:00.000-04:00

I love working with geeks! Discovery blasted off from Cape Canaveral at 11:38 am EDT yesterday, and we all trooped out to the roof to watch. The launch was beautiful.

Here's to a successful mission and a safe return!

This n That

2007-10-19T21:14:00.000-04:00

45%
I thought I'd have at least a 50% chance.... I think it's my need to save the monsters; I should face the fact that they'd probably handle it better than me!

And proof that there is at least one other person like me in the world:

It's not my absolute favorite TMJ song, but I've been singing it nonstop since I saw this!

An Interesting Statue

2007-10-19T19:23:00.000-04:00

I live in the land of mouse ears and space shuttles, so my choice of statuary is a little limited.... For this week's Blogstalker assignment I chose my favorite little knick knack paddy wack.

Do I disturb you?

I found this Nike of Samothrace at one of those discount retail stores. I said, "Huh, isn't that neat," and walked away. But, like some Giger-esque bad dream, she called me back and I bought her the next day. She lost one wing in a terrible marauding kitty accident, and has scared the crap out of the Hairy One ever since.

She is rather disturbing. She appeals to that leather and lace, liquid latex part of me that the monsters have (mostly) suppressed.

Do dolphins have nipples?

2007-10-12T19:30:00.000-04:00

We went to the local pancake place tonight, and the monsters were cracking me up!

While we were eating, a foursome walked into the restaurant. "I hope that guy's not an enemy," says Bubba.

"What?!?"

"I hope that guy's not an enemy."

"Whose enemy?"

"I don't know, I just hope he's not an enemy."

"I'm sure he's not, Bubba."

Then on the drive home, Bubba is quietly explaining to the Bug that "nipples are on the outside and the inside part is called the chest."

"Honey, nipples are the bumps; the whole part above your tummy is your chest."

"Oh. So nipples are a family of two."

"What?!?"

"Nipples are a family of two."

"You mean everyone has two nipples."

"Yeah."

The Bug: "Not girls; girls have breasts."

Me, trying not to laugh too hard, "Girls have nipples too; everyone has nipples."

"Do bunnies have nipples?"

"Yes."

"How about fish?"

"No, fish don't have any. Only animals with hair or fur."

"Do dolphins have nipples?"

"Yes."

"Dolphins have nipples?!?"

I love those guys!!!!!

Three Things I Love and Three Things I Hate

2007-10-10T16:16:00.001-04:00

This week's blogstalking assignment is to list three things I love and three things I hate. Since I'm a pretty loving person (I have said "I love you" to strangers and meant it!) it's hard to narrow down to three. Here are the ones I thought of first.....

I Love Purple Flowers

These are all flowers from my gardens; there are two passion flowers, two butterfly bushes, and two unknowns.

I Love My Furbabies

Clockwise from top left: Black Tom, Jasper, Murder Girl, Nutmeg, and Peek-a-boo

I Love My Monsters

Bubba and the Bug, getting away with murder since 2003.

And now Three Things I Hate

I really hate them!

Spiders!

I hate them so much that I couldn't even take my own picture or put three separate pictures in the blog. I hate them so much that just having this picture is creeping me out.

And since I'm such a rebel, here's one more thing I love:

Works in Progress

2007-10-06T13:37:00.000-04:00

Last night, I knit through Doctor Who (how I love the Tenth Doctor!), and finally the Pretty in ~~Pink~~ Lavender Tank looks like more than a tube. I increased the bodice rounds by one inch so it will have a higher (and more flattering for me) neckline. I will decrease the straps correspondingly.

Aren't I pretty reposing in the shade?

See, one strap already! I don't really like knitting the straps on the cable needles, but I'm too lazy to switch.

Will you finish me already?

On Wednesday I went to my first knit night. It was fabulous! I cast on the Shapely Tank and made it through the first short rows. No frogging so far - Yay!

Anything looks pretty with a flower!

I'll probably jinx it, but my goal is to finish knitting the Pretty in Pink Tank today and sew the straps tomorrow. We'll see.....

What card are you?

2007-10-05T07:53:00.000-04:00

You are The Wheel of Fortune

Good fortune and happiness but sometimes a species of
intoxication with success

The Wheel of Fortune is all about big things, luck, change, fortune. Almost always good fortune. You are lucky in all things that you do and happy with the things that come to you. Be careful that success does not go to your head however. Sometimes luck can change.

What Tarot Card are You?
Take the Test to Find Out.

That's just too cool!

How you get from here to there

2007-10-04T17:40:00.000-04:00

This week's assignment on Blogstalker is "How do you get from here to there." I have to add a disclaimer again: Do not try this at home!

Since we live on an island, the answer is by bridge.

And the beast that gets us where we need to go?

He made what?!?

2007-09-26T20:29:00.000-04:00

The Hairy One brought this home from school today; it's from a DOE info sharing project called "Lessons Learned". My eyebrows are still up at my hairline.....

Eryn says, "DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME!!!"
(Or you deserve a Darwin Award!)

Fireball from Aluminum Grinding Dust

Date: September 21, 2001

Identifier: 2001-RL-HNF-0036

Lessons Learned Statement:
Aluminum grinding dust can create a serious explosive fire hazard when it is mixed with steel or iron grinding dust.

Discussion of Activities:
A safety coordinator at the Esso Oil Company plant in Longford, Australia, was using a belt grinder in his home workshop to smooth the edge of a hacksaw cut on a 2" length of 1.5" angle iron. He had been grinding for about 1.5 to 2 minutes when there was a loud "THUMP" accompanied by an approximately 2-foot diameter brilliant yellow orange fireball. The fireball lasted no more than 1 second and then completely extinguished itself. It completely enveloped the machine, his hands to half way up his forearms, and the front of his torso.

Injuries included deep second-degree burns to about 60% of the victims' left hand and 50% of his right hand and first degree burns to his neck, chin, cheeks, lips and the end of his nose. The right cuff of his shirt was smoldering, his face felt a burning sensation, and he could hear the front of his hair sizzling. Nothing on the bench was burning. A few streaks of white powder were deposited on the bench top and on a few items lying on the bench. The workshop was filled with dense white smoke with very little odor. His finders and the ends of his thumbs escaped relatively unscathed as they were protected from the heat flash. He was wearing glasses, which protected his eyes. He also lost half his mustache, one of his eyebrows, and about 1 inch off the front of his hair. His eyelashes were curled by the heat but not singed. The burns to his face were caused solely by radiant heat, as the fireball did not come that high.

Analysis:
A few days before the event, the man's son had ground the heads off about twelve aluminum pop rivets. Finely divided aluminum mixed with finely divided ferrous oxide (the black powder residue from grinding steel) produced a compound called thermite. Thermite is used to fill incendiary bombs and is used commercially to weld large steel items. It burns at approximately 3500C (6300F), hence the extensive burns from such a short exposure time.

Recommended actions:
The victim recommended that the manufacturer of the grinding wheel should include a very strong warning about the dangers posed by grinding steel after having ground aluminum. That warning should include precautions to thoroughly clean the grinding machine of all aluminum dust before grinding iron or steel.

The rest of the report can be seen here.

This is hilarious to me! This is supposed to be this serious warning against letting your slobby kids use your grinder written by a gov't agency. Keep in mind that I work in a gov't office; I know how they write reports. I don't think I could have written this up without a major rib injury! I especially love the fact that they point out that the victim lost half his mustache.

Stuff like this is why science is awesome! And yet more proof that people are intrinsically stupid.....

Warning, snarkiness follows

2007-09-26T16:41:00.000-04:00

This post will have nothing to do with knitting, soaping, blog-stalking, or general craftiness. This post is pure snark.

Today at work I get this (must be read in super bubbly voice – and yes, I know I’m queen of bubbly, but this was a lot even for me!):

To: QueenBee
From: ReallyExcitedWorkerBee

Hi Eryn! Could you send this out global? I am really excited and want everyone to know!

Blah blah blah about this month’s walk for your favorite charity, team info, please help….

*Important bit here* LINK TO TEAM’S PAGE WITH ALL WALK INFO

Thank you,

ReallyExcitedWorkerBee

So I clean it up and forward to all employees. Now I’ve done this before and I know the drill: I make sure the date and name of the walk are in the Subject line; I start the email with “ReallyExcitedWorkerBee is the point of contact for all questions” in huge freaking blue letters; I make sure the links work….

Within two minutes I get an email from JustCan’tPayAttention “When is the walk?” I reply with the date, place, and time and point out that all the info can be found in the link.

Another minute passes: Email from FaxMachinesAreCuttingEdgeTechnology “How do I sign up?” Reply: “ReallyExcitedWorkerBee is the point of contact for this event. You can sign up by clicking on the link she provided.”

Then the calls come in: “Hey, can I join your walk for that charity?”

Me (trying not to be nasty): “ReallyExcitedWorkerBee is the point of contact for that walk. Her contact information and the link to join the team are in the email.”

Them: “Oh, I deleted it. Can you send it to me again?” Now I am at an impasse. Do I kindly explain that you never actually delete anything on a computer and try and tell this person how to retrieve the email? Nope, I just resend it.

Now I know that because of my job, I have a low opinion of the general population, but how do these people get dressed in the morning without someone to pick out their clothes?

If at first you don't succeed, make soap

2007-09-23T15:29:00.000-04:00

I spent all day yesterday washing, drying, and carding wool.

See the dirty wool? Ewwwww.

First wash.

Hot hot water with a little bit of detergent. I thought about doing this in the washing machine, but I don't know what the lanolin and fuzz would do to my machine. Besides, then you wouldn't see my dead grass! (It's been a hot, dry summer.)

They say the wash water is good for the plants. I figure at this point the lawn can't get worse!

Last wash (rinsed with white vinegar).

Drying on the rack (note to self, next time use a towel under the wool). I had drops and blops of wool falling to the ground. My dog thought it was raining puppy toys.

The merino carded beautifully, but I couldn't make a rolag. I was sooo frustrated. I spent all day with this wool and I was ruining it!

So this morning I decided to do something I knew I would succeed with. Soap! I'm using a very simple recipe:

30% canola
29% olive
25% coconut
8% shea butter
8% castor
water:lye 1:2.75
5% superfat

The recipe seems a little heavy on castor (I usually stick to 4-5%), but the extra conditioning should be nice. I made two small batches so I could play with my new soap colors (that also dye wool!).

The recipe soaped like a dream. I mixed the oils/lye water at 110* and stick blended to light trace. Trace was nice and quick, but not so fast that I felt rushed. It was too fast to take a pic though.

I divided the first batch into threes and tinted two with aqua and melon red. I drizzled each color into the mold and swirled with a bamboo skewer. The fragrance is an Axe Touch type (otherwise known as manly man perfume)

I split the next batch into two parts and tinted with emerald green and brilliant blue (which turns orange then lavender in CP soap). The scent is Amber Romance and it is dreamy..... Too bad it looks like split pea soup mixed with tomatoes. The colors should settle after gel. Did you notice the first batch is almost gelled in this photo? I force gel with a heating pad so I know it gells through to the corners.

The soaps should be through the gel phase late tonight and ready to be unmolded and cut tomorrow.

Flush with the success of making soap (even if it's weird looking soap, it'll wash stinky bodies!) I got on line to figure out what I'm doing wrong with the wool. There it was, plain as day, on the first site I looked at. I was trying to make a long fiber rolag. I blame it on the bunnies. My reading has been focused on angora fibers which are very different than wool fibers. I'm going to try again tonight - wish me luck.

One last pic: the Hairy One caught dinner! See how creeped out the Bug is?

Blogstalking: "The Contents of My Purse"

2007-09-22T07:45:00.001-04:00

Here is my purse!

This is what my purse looks like on any given day. I have not been able to admit that I am not a small purse person, so everything is balanced precariously. My current project and my book are always on top.

Once you move the book and the knitting, you see the ever-so-organized jumble of old receipts, keys, my wallet, candy, and all the other odds and ends. If you look closely, you will see a grocery list from last month.

Here's a close up of the mess that is my purse. It's all the "emergency" stuff I never actually need. Mints for dragon breath, emergency chocolate, a necklace for when I need sparkly, and of course four lipsticks that I never remember to put on.....

Blogstalking: "Who Are You?"

2007-09-21T14:05:00.000-04:00

Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know this is last week's question. I am always late; I'll probably be late for my own funeral!

So, who is this girl? And why is she so unusual? That is such a hard question.... I'll start with the statistics:

I'm a wife; I've been married to the Hairy One for six years. We met when we were both in the Army and it was that stupid-grin, weak-kneed love at first sight. He spoils me outrageously and in return, I let him go fishing whenever he wants.

I'm a mom; we have two beautiful little monsters, Bubba and the Bug. Bubba's five (almost six) and in kindergarten, and the Bug just turned four and is next door in Pre-K (that poor school). I'm trying to raise them to be independent, tenacious, and responsible for their own actions. I think it's working, but military school is always an option.

I'm an "Executive Assistant;" oh pu-lease, that's just a fancy term for a glorified secretary. I am also the primary bread-winner for our family. The Hairy One is going to school full-time to be a rocket scientist; we had to make some sacrifices, but it's worth it.

I'm in my early thirties, but I keep forgetting; I have purple hair and work in a conservative office. I love platform shoes and goth-girl outfits (but the little goth-kids always make me giggle). I am easily bored so I have eighty hobbies. I read voraciously: often a book every other day.

I am fiscally conservative but socially liberal. I believe the government should stay out of almost everything: marriage, the human body, the Middle East, my pocketbook. I believe in stronger criminal penalties, especially for violent or sexual crimes and meth manufacturing.

[pants] Whoo! I swear I didn't see that soap-box. Wow.

Mostly I'm just me. I read, I knit, I sew. I make soap. I jump in rain puddles with the boys. I like frogs and I am afraid of spiders. I am Eryn, hear me roar!

New Stuff!

2007-09-17T21:10:00.000-04:00

I had packages waiting for me tonight! Look and see what goodies I got:

Here's a bad picture of beautiful merino wool. After I wash and card it, this wool will be the first fiber spun on my DIY kick wheel. This will also be the first wool I have processed all by myself. I hope I don't end up with a big pot of felt!

And look - cheap coconut oil for soap. I stumbled across this on eBay with only ten minutes left in the bid. Can't beat that! Coconut oil can be drying for some people, but it is really the best oil for soap. It makes a super hard bar that will suds in salt water. To counter-act the drying effect, I blend it with olive oil and shea butter, among others. A little bit of coconut oil goes a loooong way.

I also started this. Thank you for the pattern, Amanda! I love sweaters, but it is too hot in Florida, so I'm looking for cami's, tanks and cardigans. This one is fabulous and very simple. The yarn is cheapo 100% acrylic from the evil that is Wal-mart. (I live in the fiber equivalent of the Arctic tundra. Thank the gods for the internet!) I was looking for something easy to work with and cheap - just in case I screwed up. I grabbed this because I love the color. If you asked me my favorite color, I would immediately say "Blue," but I am obsessed with lavender. When I see this color, I just have to touch it. (And it sets off my eyes!)

The Eye of God

The Hairy One went back to school this year, learning to be a rocket scientist. Tonight he got on-line to show the boys some of the cool things he's learned. He pulled up this picture of the Cat's Eye Nebula (dubbed the Eye of God) and the Bug said, "Whoa, that's my future! You learned about my future, Dad!"

That was an incredibly deep comment. Whether his four year old mind meant he was going to study things like that when he grew up, or if he meant that ultimately we are all cosmic dust, I am blown away!

Finished Ear Warmers

2007-09-16T11:02:00.000-04:00

I was going to knit scarves and hats for the boys, but then I remembered we live in Florida. Not much need for heavy winter wear..... So the scarves changed to ear warmers!

Here are Bubba and the Bug with their new ear warmers. Perfect for those frigid 60* days of winter.

Jealous?

Knitting and Felting

2007-09-16T08:06:00.000-04:00

I've started my first felting project. I'm knitting a "project bag" so I can carry around all the other things I'm working on. I'm making up the pattern as I go along in a simple stockinette stitch. I love the color combination of green and purple.

The plan is to make the body of the bag in green with the sides and strap in purple. I have a test swatch to felt as soon as I catch up on laundry. That will give me an idea of how much shrinkage to expect and how much felting I want. I love the idea of changing a simple knit into felt.

On another subject, my Mom decided to buy me a new sewing machine for my birthday/Christmas/everything gift this year (I am sooo spoiled!) Yesterday I went to test drive machines at a local quilt shop. Of course I fell in love with a Bernina activa - what a machine! It practically puts the clothes together for you. So what if it's over four times the price range we're looking at..... Seriously, I'm looking at the Bernina bernette 90e. It has all the features I'd want (and many "luxuries" I'd never get if I bought a sewing machine for myself).

The most exciting thing about the test drive is I learned Bernina is releasing a computer program for garment construction that will act like a virtual dressmaker's dummy! After you input your measurements, the program will alter any pattern to fit you precisely. No more pinning and modeling twenty-times! The funny thing is, I turn to computers for everything: from filing and cross-referencing at work to photo albums. And yet, I never thought of a virtual dressmaker's dummy. I'm saving my pennies for this program!

Time to clean bunny cages....

Hello Hello

2007-09-14T05:26:00.000-04:00

So here I am, officially a blogger. Because of course I can't do only one thing at a time, I have to dive into the worlds of spinning, knitting, and blogging all at once. (it's a sickness, I know.)

I used to knit all the time - simple things like scarves and blankets. Then we had the house fire - maybe someday I'll tell you the story - and knitting needles and yarn weren't high on the priority list for replacement. Well, it is high time I got back on that horse, and to mix metaphors, I've learned that knitting is like riding a bicycle: you never forget.

Right now I'm knitting simple hat/scarf combos for the boys (Bubba and the Bug). The Hairy One has already demanded a fuzzy scarf and a goofy hat. For a very manly man, he sure likes his fuzzies!

Once I get the knitting muscles stretched out, I will start a project list so you can follow along and yell at me for procrastination!

Our new additions Jasper and Nutmeg are settling in well. They are the progenitors of a future award-winning Satin Angora rabbit herd! I can't wait to start spinning their beautiful wool! I ordered some beautiful Merino wool I can play with until my bunnies are fluffy again.

On the soap front, I ordered some new dye. I can't wait to start playing! Ooh, ooh, ooh, the best part..... the dye is good for wool too! (Happy dance! Do it with me now!)

Pictures of projects, coming soon!