Sunday, August 31, 2014

Best summer drink ever!

One of my coworkers told me about this drink he used to make at the Farm he worked at. The would have weddings and he was the bartender. This drink is the easiest thing to make and it tastes refreshing. I have yet to come up with a snappy name in his honor-I think it deserves something classy.

Best Summer Drink Ever

Pour some bourbon in a cocktail shaker (I used 2 ounces of Jim Bean). Add some apricot jam or orange marmalade (to taste- I used 2 tablespoons). Add ice and shake. Pour into a glass filled with ice and top with Gingerale.

You can fiddle with the ingredients to your taste. You get a wonderful jammy, fizzy drink without the punch of bourbon. 

Sunday, August 24, 2014

Yarn, Yarn, Everywhere...

    I always tell myself, "I have enough yarn"...as every knitter knows, this is just something we tell ourselves to try and stem the yarn hair. I have three boxes of yarn-quite a small amount in the yarn world. I know people that have entire rooms full of unused yarn.
   But, still I tell myself-"Do not buy any more yarn until you use what you have". Technically all my yarn is earmarked for projects. The sock yarn is going to become a shawl, the worsted a cowl, the other worsted will be a flapper hat (short rows-why the short rows), the mink will be a shawl after I knit the practice shawl, the sparkly mohair with be a lace knit scarf, the kid mohair is a hat for my Mom.
  So, why do I continue to buy wool whenever I see it? Whenever I go to non yarn stores (Jo-Anns, Michaels, Hobby Lobby-your "craft store") they have rows and rows of acrylic and about 1% yarn that is 100% wool. Now, you can do some fun stuff with acrylic and the colors-oh the colors and textures and glittery beads and weirdness of it is overwhelming. But its not real. It doesn't keep you warm and you can't felt and manipulate it like a wool. So, whoever I see wool, I buy it.
   When I was at the Fiber Fair I found Alchemy's silk straw yarn for 1/2 price, so I bought 2 skeins. Then I bought some mohair from Blue Moon that is shades of mossy green. Now I am stuck with what do I knit which them?
   On top of that, I am still in love with the wrap from Catching Fire that Katniss wears-add that to the list. And....watching Outlander last night I fell good and hard for Claire's knit cowl and gloves- pictures here (scroll down to #7). Oh, the chunky yarn!
   Maybe it's because it is currently 90 outside with 100% humidity- it's like the South here, my hair is curling! I want the cool air to come so I can pull out the sweaters and curl up with some tea.....and knitting!

Sunday, August 17, 2014

Hanx Writer Type App

   Since I got my iPad last week, I've ben looking at what cool apps I can download and mess around with on it.
   I found one that is designed by Tom Hanks! Its a typewriter and its free. You can upgrade and add two other typewriters or you can "test drive" them. You get a realistic looking typewriter with keys an sound. Yes, this is an app that you probably don't need but sometimes the sound of a typewriter is calming to hear (at least to me). You could even just type nonsense on your page and hear the click of the keys.
  You can send your document in a message or Air Drop it to someone nearby. For $4.99 you can add pictures and change your ribbon. Having used a typewriter for school papers I can only imagine if I could have used this app to stick it yo my teacher (but I *did* use a computer!).
   This app is definitely worth downloading and trying out! 

Sunday, August 10, 2014

Winner, Winner, IPad Winner

I always enter the Summer Reading Program at the library. I get to read like I always do and I enter little slips in and get the chance to win prizes!
  I used to go to this HUGE library when I was in Naperville and won all sorts of cool things in the "teen" program: pens, a hotel stay in the city, a handmade wooden box, my height in Turtle sundaes, free lessons....
  Now, I go to a much smaller library and they don't give out a lot of prizes, I've never won anything. I get a free book and a pen when I turn in my first slip, but that's about it. Until yesterday (Saturday). I though the winners were picked and prizes where given out, its been over a week since the program ended. I went in to get some books to read and I had to go to the reference desk.......where they told me I won the grand prize

an I-PAD!!!

:) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :)

So exciting!!! I raced home and started playing with it and I tried to find some apps to download. I've got Paper53, Sketches, Moleskin, Rosetta Stone and the Makerbot app.

Any other cool apps for a design oriented person like myself???

I also spent a few hours looking for a cool, artsy case for it. I really likes the BookBook case, but all the negative reviews turned me off. Then I was looking and Paper and Quill and Dodo case. I finally went with Dodo case because I could design my own and it has the book maker feel to it. *fingers crossed* it works and gets here soon!

Sunday, August 3, 2014

Midwest Fiber Fair 2014

This weekend was the fiber fair and it was.....small.....Sadly, the fairgrounds pulled the Fiber Fair's normal date and made them take a later one, which lead to not a lot of vendors.
  I missed Nifty, Thrifty Dry Goods; Windy City Knits; the Spinners Guild and many more. I was going to by this a bag that says "I Knit so I don't kill people", but I guess I'll have to get it on Etsy.
  I did meet some lovely people from Lost City Knits and got many "purls" of wisdom from Denise and a "simple" lace pattern for a shawl. We'll see how simple, my brain is already cramping from looking at the chart. I also stopped by The Fold and picked up some silk yarn that was on sale (who knows what it will go to).
  I always promise myself that "I won't buy any new yarn"......umm...yeah, right.....You see, most of my stash yarn is going to a project, I just haven't started the 20 or so projects in my queue....Therefore I need new yarn for projects yet to be. And sock yarn just doesn't count. Cotton doesn't either-that's mindless dishcloth yarn for knitting at the doctor's, on the train or while watching TV......
  I did take a really cool welt felting class and learning the secret is......POWER TOOLS!!!!! Why spend hours with a PVC pipe when you can buzz your roving with a sander? Genius!


This is before the welt felting. Lots of texture and color. This became a felted flower fascinator, which is still drying! So, pictures to come....
   
I was also lucky enough to be a featured artist in the directory given out at the fiber fair. I did feel bad that I didn't enter the Handbag Exhibit this year (I was going to), but tests and doctors visits got in the way of everything! 
  
 It was a fun day up until the end when I started getting phone calls about my insurance company-hard to deal when you are up to your elbows in soapy water. 

I'l leave this on a high note with one of the poems exhibited at the fair!