Lovely Eats

 

This last week has just been spectacularly fun!  So much news and happenings I don’t know where to turn.

The beginning is always good right? 😉

Last Friday found me scrambling to get all I wanted (not needed mind you) done.  I ofcoarse had work to do, but my friends Cecilee and Crystal left to Mexico that morning leaving me to care for their cute little pups.  So I needed to run home to let them out while being at my knitting club by 5:30 to get in some quality knitting before rushing off to another concert.  I was able to accomplish it all and squeeze in a midnight watching of “Meet Me in St. Loius”  with some good friends.

Speaking of the knitting club, we just have a rollicking good time all cozy and snug in the Far North Yarn Co.  There are lots of laughter (no tears yet), new friendships, sharing of ideas and techniques and did I mention laughter?

I love this group so much (and the store) that I even started a group for it on ravelry.com   For those of you who don’t know what that is:  Ravelry is an online knitting community where you can meet up with old friends, make new ones from around the world, show off your knitted projects, shop around for patterns, yarn and all kinds of knittery goodery.  It is like manna from Heaven. **Caution** cruising ravelry has a tendency to become addictive, attempt with caution.

 

On Saturday I was sopposed to attend my neice, Aftons, dance recital, but after 4 trips through the dryer, my clothes were still quite damp and so I threw on a pair and suffered the 10 minute drive to my parents to finally get my cloths dry and missed the whole thing.  Luckily she was so excited about dancing in front of a great big crowd that she never noticed her Aunt Em wasn’t there.

That night (this is beginning to sound like a travel log)!  My good friends Pepe and Kay (who own Far North Yarn Co). opened their third restaurant out in Indian AK .  They bought the Turnagain Roadhouse and renamed it “Pepe’s Turnagain Roadhouse”  Sunday was their opening day, so on Saturday they invited friends and family to come out and try the menu on for size.  I dragged my friend Nancy along and met up with Ann Courtney, a Vundebar gal from the knitting club.  We sat and ate, ate and chat and ate some more until 4 hours had passed!  The food was melt in your mouth goodness and all I can say is: Well done Pepe and Ann you really made something wonderful there!

 

On My Needles

This week in knitting, I finished up square 1 of my barn raising blanket and started on #2.  Only 48 more to go!  

I have been distracted with my mothers day gift.  As I am sure my mother does not read my blog I feel I can speak freely.  I have knitted and felted her a series of 3 bird nests.  

the 2 showey nests without their plumage

2 are solely for decoration and one is for actual bird use.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I have found that if you take 2 cheap sandals and irratate the fabric between the 2 it really speeds up the hand felting process and I think I enjoy taking my frustrations of the day out on it! 🙂

I ended up felting them by hand last night as the washer seemed incapable of creating hot water (what is with me and washing machines lately)?  They turned out really well.  After rolling them in a towel to squeeze out any excess water,

 

the useful one being stuffed

 

 

 

I stuffed them with plastic bags in the shape I wanted them to remain in when dry and left them to it.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Ravens Outling being Needle Felted

Now the hard part, coming up with the decoration without going overboard.  I want to needle felt  a raven on one, and a line from her favorite poem by Edgar Allen Poe on the other.  Then I will finish it off with some decorative beading, not to much bling, just enough.

 

 

Sites to cherish

http://www.twistcollective.com  is an online knitting magazine with lots of informative articles and a truly innovative format.  Normally when designers submit to a magazine, say like Vogue Knitting or Interweave Knits the magazine will pay a flat fee for the pattern.  At Twist Collective however, each time the pattern is purchased and downloaded the designer gets paid a little more. (there is a whole new trend leaning towards this method it is quite interesting and empowering).

http://www.knitty.com Knitty is another online magazine that is truly great.  Here the patterns are free.  It’s the ads that pay for all the patterns here.  This site is a little more quirky, it labels patterns “Mellow, Tangy, Piquant and Extraspicy” instead of the yarn standards traditional beginner, intermediate etc.  They also have many great sections and articles like: Knitty Roundtable, Knitty Spin, Patterns galore, a blog and shopping!

 

I applaud these enterprises and look forward to seeing them grow and develop in the forthcoming seasons.