So I'm switching the comment system from the squarespace system to disqus, mostly because it bugs me that folks don't get notified or emailed when someone (like say, me) replies to their comment.
Theoretically, the previous comments will transfer over once I figure out how the importing/exporting weird way they make you do it (you need to create a dummy wordpress blog, seriously).
Not a hat. Almost a muppet.
Well, almost a hat. And in fact, probably not going to wind up a hat, maybe socks? Or a shawl? I don't know yet.
JBB suggested doing a stuffed muppety dinosaur with it, because muppet colors. But I'm not sure a fingering weight handspun would work, plus I'm wary of how the gradient would work up on a figure. I'll think about it anyway.
This is the December 14 Spunky Eclectic club fiber (4oz, BFL superwash), spun on a spindle and then chain plied on the same spindle to keep the color gradient. It goes from Big Bird to Zoe to Elmo to Tully to Rosita to Grover.
I figured out chain plying! Which is apparently more advanced than I'd anticipated! But also pretty straightforward when you figure it out. I pulled long loops of the single through loops, essentially making a big ole loose crochet chain, and wound that into a plying ball. then I added twist with the spindle from the plying ball. If none of these words make sense to you, here's a tutorial on chain plying from Craftsy. It has pictures that might help.
I was expecting this to come out more as a light worsted weight yarn, since this is a chain ply--so a three ply--but I guess my singles were way lighter than I'd realized. Which actually makes me very glad that I did not do my original plan of spinning the other 4oz I have and making a 2-ply yarn.
Speaking of that other 4oz . . . I am thinking that I'll split it in half, and try to spin that to about a worsted weight two-ply, then maybe make mitts or a hat? Suggestions anyone?
and so are my boots.
thanks annoying taxi for splattering me.
the salt stains on the shoes. So many salt stains. The solution is really easy, thankfully. First, brush off any loose dirt with a paper towel. Then, the magic:
yeah, giant bottle of vinegar, what what!
white vinegar. Dab some on a rag or a paper towel, and go attack the salt stains. Let dry. Bam! Clean boots!
Vinegar is magic, i tells you.
the incredible edible...
this is another one of the posts that I was told to write (this time, by jbb). The perfect, easy peeling, hard or soft boiled egg.
First, and this is the biggest trick for an easy to peel egg, use old eggs. And by old, I mean like a week old, not like months. If you get awesome freshly laid eggs from chickens you know or the farmers market or whatever, wait like two weeks.
The reason for this is that the little air space inside the egg will get bigger as the egg ages. The more air inbetween the egg and the shell, the easier it'll peel.
So take your old eggs, put in cold water in a pan, covered with like half an inch of water, cover and bring to a boil. As soon as the water boils, turn off the heat, cover the pot, and set the timer for 11 minutes for hard boiled eggs, 5 for soft boiled eggs.
When the timer goes off, dunk the eggs in a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking. Voila, eggs!
I was informed that super easy vinagrette recipe that I rattled off in the hallway at work, was, in fact, worthy of a blog post... and so, I present the best and EASIEST vinagrette!
You can make this in a bowl, but it's way easier to do in a jar with a lid. If you're truly lazy like me, wait until you're just about out of dijon mustard, and make it in the not-washed-out-mustard jar.
my favorite dijon
here's my measuring
Start with a plop of dijon mustard. And by plop I mean spoonful-ish. I've also been known to stick my small whisk into the jar and use whatever comes up as the amount. Add a hearty pinch of kosher or other coarse salt and about twice as much coarse ground pepper as you think is reasonable.
the jar of salt. Mmmm. Salt.
DIGRESSION ON SALT: First, buy kosher salt. Second, keep it in a covered dish (I use a cheap glass sugar jar bought just for salt) or salt pig Third, don't be stingy. Salt is flavor. Use like a HEARTY pinch, not a few grains, I'm talking a decent chunk.
Oh sherry...vinegar.
Then, throw in a small pinch of brown sugar, and a glug of sherry (or red wine, or champagne, or rice--anything but balsamic or white) vinegar.
oil it up!
Top with three glugs of decent olive oil. Whisk, or if you're using a jar, pop the lid on and shake. Voilà, vinaigrette! Keep it in the fridge and it'll last a good long while.
If you want to get REALLY fancy or not lazy, crush or grate with a microplane a small clove of garlic into the whole mess, or add a finely diced shallot. Neither are actually neccessary. I mean, they're good but they also require cleaning something after.
aka, what I did on a snow day.
Stunning art from layered and cut paper.
Had I thought ahead and actually picked up brown sugar at the store while I was there with the rest of the world buying groceries pre-storm, I could have made this. Now I will just wistfully dream of it.
I love Earl Grey, so I cannot imagine how I would not love bergamot infused vodka.
If only either of my children were into dolls. Oh who am I kidding, I'd make these for me.
The always brilliant Anne Helen Peterson on It Girls.
I like toast, and British food writing. So they are clearly doing this just for me.
My grandmother, my mom's mom, asked for photos of her kids for Christmas (or birthday--honestly, I have no idea which) presents. And so my mom enlisted me and JBB to take pictures of her when we were on vacation between Christmas and New Years
It went well! I now have fifty zillion pictures of my mom making weird faces on my phone, and about ten really good pictures of her. Normally, I would have just used instagram to futz with the photo, but mom and Oma wanted an honest to god 5x7 normal picture and not one of our fancypants newfangled square format ones.
DIGRESSION: Where the hell are all the square format picture frames? SERIOUSLY PEOPLE. I will give you money for decent 4x4 picture frames.
And because I am lazy and do everything on my phone (and have no idea how to actually use photoshop), I also futzed with it using my favorite non-instagram photo futzing app, pixlr.
DIGRESSION 2: It's a little terrifying to me, the olds, that I don't use a digital camera anymore, I just use my phone. And that my phone has a far far better camera than any camera I've owned, ever.
So back to the problem: now we need to get an actual print of it. And my go-to place for instagram prints, Print Studio (formerly Prinstagram), doesn't do normal proportion prints. But I love their super thick card stock paper, matte finish, so I'm looking for other places to print pics that have that and are not Shutterfly or Snapfish.
Anyone got any suggestions?
Ever get pantry moths or pick up a thing of flour or pasta from a sketch grocery store only to find it had nasty little bugs in it (which are probably pantry moth larvae)?
It sucks, it sucks a LOT. And pantry moths are such a bitch to get rid of. (ASK ME HOW I KNOW. UGH.)
Best trick ever to avoid any kind of infestation: when you get flour or pasta from the store, stick it in the freezer for a week before using it. If it does harbor any nasties from the store, the cold will kill them and they won't decide to use your kitchen pantry as a breeding ground and infest everything.
(still check to make sure there aren't any dead bugs before you use it. And if you're my brother, this apparently translates to "keep your flour AND sugar in the freezer," which makes zero sense. But you do you kid. You do you.)
My name's Jen. I make stuff using yarn, fiber, clay, words, etc.
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