SpinWeaveKnitandCake

Spooky Cat Says Happy Halloween!

You may approach and bring me treats...

Why Dull Knives Are Bad, Mm'kay?

Because when you are making chili for dinner your knife doesn't slip up the side of the rather large onion and slice into the fat, doughy base of your thumb.  Owie.  Hey, Mr. Man, the knife needs some attention.

Also at this time I would like you to remember to hold said wound above your heart while applying pressure, it is supposed to slow the blood loss down.  Mm'kay?

God I love Nexcare bandages. 

At least we have enough chili for a family of 20.  Can anybody ever cook for just two?  I was at the deli in Wegman's a of couple weeks ago and this woman only ordered two slices of cheese.  What?  Just two slices? 

My immediate thought was somebody has eating issues and then I thought, she probably has the cleanest refrigerator in town. 

Speaking of which, I have to throw that into the hardhat of chores.  For just two people our fridge is loaded with some long forgotten, not-so-timeless meals that's for sure.  If I start chucking things blindly into the garbage Mr. Man comes to help.  Heh, heh, heh...

HIM:  Hey don't throw that out.  That cheese is still good.
ME:  It smells like feet and it has mold on it.
HIM:  It's supposed to smell like feet and have mold on it. 

First Fire of the Season...

The blustery weather yesterday prompted Mr. Man to light a fire for us last night.

I'm currently using this to relax...

And to keep these warm...

The cold has inspired me to make myself a pair of felted mittens.  So I photocopied my hands for size comparison and template purposes.  Yeah, I'm a dork.  I've also cut them out in cardboard.  Let's see how this idea of mine works out. 

I'm waiting for a pair of small circulars to arrive via mail so I can do some tight knitting in the round.  I'm not sure which felting process to use to make these.  Knit, then felt?  Or should I just grab some cloth and chunks of wool and get scrubbing to make felted pieces?

BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.....

It is cold out there and I love it!  We're down to 48*F with lots of wind.  And oh, I'm also in a better mood.  

A short story:
Here in the Commonwealth of Virginia, lots of us have to pay a property tax every year on their vehicle and we also have to have an emissions test done once every year (with the option of two-years).  So of course when I bought my truck several years ago I bought it in October which means my insurance, property tax, and emissions are all due in the same bank draining month.  Gah.

Needless to say I waited until the last minute for the emissions testing which can take a long time depending on what time of the day and how close it is to the beginning or end of the month due to the number of people in line before you.  One needs skill in timing these things and today by golly I do believe I mastered it.  I left the house at 10:10 a.m., as I got to my local garage the guy was finishing with the lone car there, so I got right in, received the "PASS" grade and was home all by 10:40 a.m.  It's the small things that make me happy I tell you.

Fiber Content:
Finally the knitted "hats" I've been working on have finally become felted bowls. 
Ta-daaa!


Here's the scoop on these puppies going from largest to smallest starting on the left with the multi-colored purple bowl.  Mental note: After felting make sure you measure before you shape, you know, just for accuracy's sake.

Also, I may bead these or add something to make them less plain.

Bowl A:


Yarn:  Classic Elite Yarns - Paintbox - 100% Merino Wool
Pre-Felting Measurements (inches):  L 10.25"  W 12.00"  (Did I measure that right?)
Post-Felting Measurements (inches): L 7.50"  W 12.00"
Odor?  You betcha.  Smells like a clean wet cat.
Note:  It's more of a raspberry purple color and I could throw this back in the wash to felt a bit more.

Bowl B:

Yarn:  Lion Brand Yarn - Bolero - 100% wool
Pre-Felting Measurements (inches):  L 7.00"  W 11.00"
Post-Felting Measurements (inches):  L 6.50"  W 10.25"
Odor?  The worst.  Smells like a dirty wet dog.  What did that unidentified sheep roll in?
Note:  Trim the spiky piece on the edge, it makes this bowl look like it belongs to Alfalfa.  The chunky to thin nature of this yarn makes a scalloped edge.

Bowl C:

Yarn:  Lamb's Pride - Bulky - 85% wool/15% mohair
Pre-Felting Measurements (inches):  L 8.50"  W 10.50"
Post-Felting Measurements (inches):  L 6.00"  W 9.75"
Odor?  Smells like clean wool.
Note:  I could throw this back in the wash to felt a bit more.

Bowl D:

Yarn: Patons - SWS- %70 wool/30% soy
Pre-Felting Measurements (inches):  L 10.00"  W 11.50"
Post-Felting Measurements (inches):  L 5.50"  W 8.50"
Odor?  Nada.  Smells like a clean shirt.
Note:  I love to felt with this stuff.  It firms up the best and also shrinks the most, which could be a good or a bad thing.

Joe McCain is just as classy and tempermental as his brother

Let's all call 9-1-1 to get a traffic update and then cuss out the operator when we are told that this is improper.  Who is the elitist here?  It seems as the whole McCain clan thinks it is entitled to more than everybody else in the United States.  I am so tired of living in the shadow of the GOP elites who think they are entitled and can bend the rules on a whim.

You hear Palin (Click here to see how much it costs for two-weeks worth of face spackle) talk about Obama's ties with Bill Ayers. 

She doesn't mention McCain being one of the Keating 5 back in '89 all tangled up in the Savings and Loans debacle.  Mccain went on nine (9) all expense paid trips care of his friend Charles Keating (who spent 4.5 years in jail for his deeds). 

Again, McCain is just a pig and an elitist to me who has no qualms to accept "gifts" while in office and has a reputation in the halls on the Hill of being a jerk to the staff.  I would say he smacks of corruption even though the specifics may technically be legal.  Keep your fingers out of the cookie jar baby and out of the Oval Office! 

Okay.  Enough about politics.  I'm just cranky this morning.  Maybe I should fire up the loom this weekend and beat the aggression into some chenille so that it doesn't worm on me.

Bust out your velcro booties, we've got zero gravity and a ticket to fly to the moon on PanAm...

2001: A Space Odyssey is on the boob tube.  Sorry.  It's so disappointing to see that it's 2008 and well, we everyday people are still unable to just walk up and buy a ticket to visit such a spectacular moon base.  And Mr. Man just brought up the fact that PanAm went out of business before 2001.

Of course, the freaky people mover at Dulles airport (it's like a submarine with windows on stilts with wheels) is probably as close as we will get to some rocket ship.  How very sad for us.

In other odd news, no felting yet Jackie.  I have been wearing the chunky pre-felted bowl as a hat in the house in the early morning.   Even though it barely fits my large alien-like head it sure can keep my noggin' warm.  And yes, Tuesday we turned the heat on.  I had my first see your breath kind of morning this morning as I moved my truck out of da Man's way so he could head off to work.

This is how far I have gotten on that knitting I started on Sunday.

I have been busy.  In fact, I bid you adieu until this weekend and maybe I will felt that hat, I mean bowl.

Until then, mend your lead aprons and make sure to stand back away from the sticky tape this holiday season.  Read this.

I do knit, I swear.

I'm addicted to felting bowls.  This just looks like a small pile of hats, but they will be felted soon enough to become bowls.

Yesterday was knit group at Bloggless B's.  Knitting with the ladies always helps to motivate me, even if I don't knit the complicated stuff like they do.  I've concludeed that I should only commit to the little projects.  Nothing too complicated.  That pink "hat" was put down a year ago and I finally finished it yesterday at B's house.  I had more yarn with me so I cast on the mutli-colored "hat" and finished it shortly after I got home and since the knitting bug was back in all of its glory, I cast on yet another.

As things go I've also realized that knitting is really a seasonal hobby for me.  During the summer when it gets hot and humid here in NoVA I don't want to touch the sticks.  But now that it's 37 degrees (F*) this morning, I'm all over it. 

I love this chilly weather.  This morning I had what we call at our house a "four cat morning".  Mr. Man got up for work and our quartet of four-legged heathens piled into bed with me.  When summer rolls around I only get one.

Loom Cat Passes Out...

Actually she is rolling around on the floor in joy.  My shipment of UKI yarn came in from the lovely people at the Yarn Barn of Kansas.
I am so woozy.

Last night we went to my favorite Italian restaurant for dinner.  As we were settling in, sipping our wine and waiting for our order the power went out on the whole block.  They didn't shoo us out, so we stayed.  Just as we finished dinner the lights came back on.  It was really nice actually.

Trojans and Cheap Gas

This would be how I started my day -- and as interesting as it sounds it's not what you think.

I was working on the computer this morning and my antivirus software went bonkers as I was online searching a weird term.  Apparently I had stumbled across some nasty trojan computer virus that almost ruined my day and two days worth of work. 

After removing the offending file and running a scan it seems that my laptop is okay (knock on wood).  For a second this morning as it all froze up it seemed like it was I was going to cry, but as I like to say, it's all good.

Then of course coming home this afternoon I noticed gas was $2.97 for a gallon of regular unleaded.  You know, after I was so proud I found it for $3.15 yesterday and filled up. 

And since I'm dressed up (I worked out of the house today) we're going out for dinner tonight.

A touch of cute...

I'm sorry, was 'dis yours? 

It's very hard to recycle boxes in this house.  If you put one on the floor, no matter the size, this kitty is in it.  It's Loom Cat's sister, Whisky.  She leaves the loom alone because she's busy squeezing her furry bottom into boxes..

To play.

And of course for a cat nap.

ZZZZzzzzz...

Happy Columbus Day!

So I got a laugh this morning.  I was half listening to a local radio show this morning and in a conversation some caller said:

How can you discover a place when "there are people standing on shore waving"?  I laughed and laughed. 

So Mr. Man has scampered off to work -- okay, not scamper.  He only scampers if there is a bee or wasp involved.  So he shuffled off with coffee mug in hand and the cats have abandoned me to their napping quadrants on the bed. 

We're revving up for our annual Thanksgiving turkey fry.  Nummy.  We have to think about what we're doing this year.  We have family and friends over to sit around and eat until they're stuffed.  I'm wondering if we should try a buffet this year, probably not though.  I like the sitting around the table with everybody.

Well I'm off to do some laundry and housecleaning.  I have an email out to Blogless B about knitting this Sunday.  I missed last month's gathering of ladies and I'm looking forward to it this month.  I need the flurry of non-cat fiber to get my holiday crafitness a boost.

The weekend recap...

• Laundry, in progress
• Trash, delayed because of Columbus Day
• Attend the City of Fairfax Fall Festival on Saturday, Check

  I meant to take more photos but I was busy looking at all of the stalls of goodies and there were oodles of people there.  At one point our path was blocked with a troop of stroller drivers who converged and came to a complete stop in front of us. 

I want this car:

• Been motivated to weave, Check!

Think "Weekend Marketplace".  The City is starting up a marketplace for people like me to sell their goodies.  So I have ordered some yarn and have plans of loading the loom in order to sell my wares at a local marketplace in the November/December timeframe.  Muhahahahaaaa!  I think I can do it.  Mental Note to Self: I must make a list of what I need to do.

I finally got to sit down and catch up with the latest Handwoven magazine and noticed that on page 12 in the "Goods" section they switched the photos with the captions between the JOY and Neal Howard Designs.  Bummer.

And my sister asked me to throw a shout out on my blog to the people who helped make her wedding happen last weekend.  The good people at La Belle Femme, who provide Victorian costume rentals.  Mr. Man and I were going to rent a couple of outfits there but time was not in our favor to do so.  Also, the good folks at the Gettysburg Bed and Breakfast, who were so nice and helpful especially with helping me and my cake fiasco.   

I think that takes care of it. 

Happy Blogiversary to Me!

Now is it spelled blogiversary or blogoversary? 

I almost forgot about my little anniverary but for my friend Michelle who just celebrated hers.

In the three years that I have been blogging I haven't quite lived up to the weaving and spinning standards that I had hoped for.  I feel bad about that.  I have a huge list of things I want to make, but I can't seem to find/make the time to work on it.

This Christmas I really want to make gifts for my family and friends.  Since I've become self employed I don't get paid vacations.  Hmmm...how do I make the time?

My knitting has also hit the crafty wall since I've been transcribing a lot and my wrists don't want all of that repetitive motion on my down time.  So I just have to figure this all out.

I had, at one time, the dream of weaving my heart out and selling my wares but I have yet to collect my wits about me and actually do it.  Also, I think at this point in time I have bigger fish to fry.

Maybe when I get old and stooped over I'll become a traveling weaver, but my luck and the way our society is falling apart due to just plain ignorance*, I will be accused of witchcraft and sorcery like the poor old crone Maria the Weaver in the silent film called Haxan also known as Heksen.

*Note: I was told recently by somebody who belives that the world will end if Obama gets elected and well, you know, I live in "Communist Country".

No Subtle Hints Are Ever Thrown at a Wedding...

Guess who caught the bouquet and garter?

Yep, Mr. Man and myself were practically handed them and if the Pastor had hung around I'm sure we would have been herded to the altar.

So this is what six batches of icing looks like.

Here are the cakes being iced and re-iced.  My sister kind of left the decorating bit to me and I stayed up all night trying to figure it out.  What to do?  I sort of had a blank canvas in cake form.  I had a lot of ideas and my poor mom, well, I think I know where I get my impatience from.  Ha-ha! 

The groom's cake was easy.  They wanted a battlefield scene and I was provided the Civil War characters with the caveat, "I want a couple dead."

Many aliens were destroyed while cakes were being decorated.

Here are the cakes minus their bottom borders which needed to be done on site.  They were ready to be transported to the wedding venue.  Three double-layer cakes:  6, 8, and 10 inch rounds.

So loading up the car to take the cakes over to the bed and breakfast one cake slid back and sustained significant icing damage and on the drive there another cake sustained similar damage.  These things will happen when you leave the anti-slipping mat at home on the counter two states away.

I had one hour to redecorate them.  Luckily one glass of wine later they were done and it was cool and all was good.   Florence and her staff at the Gettysburg Battlefield Bed and Breakfast were so nice and let me use their kitchen to fix, well, redecorate the 8 and 10 inch cakes.

Maybe only a little lopsided, but good as new.  No harm, no foul.

Oh, right!  And the misplaced marriage license was triumphantly found...

So my lovely sister and her man were married on a beautiful day on a historic site wearing their civil war regalia.  She looks so beautiful.  (You've got to love sepia!)
 
Smooches!

It was so pretty on the battlefield, the weather couldn't have been better.  The bed and breakfast has a barn, which of course means barn cats --

-- which is why this guy had to stay home and could not play ring bearer.
 
"I only wanted to play..."

Oh, and the cakes were eaten.

And Mr. Man wore his suit.  Tee-hee.

It's 8 cups to 2 pounds of powdered sugar...not 8 to 1 pound. My bads.

And that's me skipping the hassle with the sifting, which oh, by the way those everyday sifters suck.  You know the ones.  They have the squeeze handles and levels of rotating gizmos and you throw in one cup of powdered sugar and ten minutes later only one teaspoon manages to wheeze out of the thing and you have a horrible cramp in your wrist.  Yeah, toss that crap out.

Just use a nice, medium-sized metal strainer (sieve, whatever) with a fine mesh with a long handle and shake the bejeebers out of the stuff over a large bowl.  Use one hand to hold the handle and bang the strainer against your other hand over the LARGE bowl.  It's so much faster than destroying your wrists with those stupid sifters with the squeeze handle, and you inhale less sugar dust to boot.

So it's baking day.  It started off with a bang.  I thought I would make breakfast for my man who is working from home today and I dropped the pan of biscuits onto the floor.  One of my cats is a hard core scavenger so he scored the biscuit that rolled down the steps into the basement.

And now it seems as though two of the seven cakes seem to have an issue with me taking them out of the oven too early.  Their centers came crashing down.  Whoopsie, but no biggie.  It's always good to have spare cakes around anyway -- the "just in case" cakes. 

The problem has been with the white cakes and I think they are more fragile than the chocolate cake I always make.  You breathe funny around the white cakes and poof, they collapse into a fragile heap.  Stupid egg whites -- which oh by the way, I had to scoop out the egg yolks because I did not read the directions before commencing to crack the eggs.  I do that a lot, charge ahead and then read what I'm supposed to do.  I am an Aries, what of it?  At least I'm realizing that I have to, at some point, read the directions.

Mr. Man has run off to Costco to buy 21 pounds of powdered sugar and lots of butter and drop his suit pants off at the dry cleaners.

Which this brings up some sticky points for me.  My sister said I didn't have to wear a costume for the wedding, but you know, three days before the event I feel like I probably should have gotten one. 

Have I mentioned they are getting married in Gettysburg?  Have I mentioned her wedding dress includes a hoop skirt?  I have joked with her because I said if you can't find the hoop, what are you putting in there?  A Hula-hoop?  She's going to 'shoop, 'shoop, 'shoop down the aisle.

Oh well, off to my cake baking lair.  I'll get photos up later of the crashed in cakes as examples of what you don't want to do.

Oh, and Happy October.  I don't think September was a good month for me this year.  Was it for you?