New Blog!

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

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

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

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

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

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!

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

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

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

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

CAFS, FL: Mostly Sunny, 77°F | 61°F

Brrr... Think we'll adjust?

Election Day + 2

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?

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

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?

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

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

Check it out:


Coming soon to Turtle Cove!

I Can't Believe I Forgot a Title!

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

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

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

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.