Tangled and Warped

I really should have taken to my bed for at least 24 hours after the past few days, but I don’t have time. Soon I promise, maybe Wednesday.

The party was a success. The food was wonderful and there was plenty of it and I actually got to enjoy the guests.

Here are some of the tables just before most of the guests arrived.

Just Dessert. More YUM!

Today I made the tiramisu for tomorrows dinner with the family. Tenderloin at my sisters house.

My niece has a big old sweet tooth and loves to bake. She is a great baker too, I’m just glad they don’t live too close. Anyhoo, she also has allergies and I was looking for some ‘real’ marshmellows but every thing I found had a possible peanut warning on it. I then thought - just how hard could it be to make marshmellows? No too hard, as it turns out.

Slab o’ mellow.  It wasn’t hard at all, just sugar, water and corn syrup, vanilla, pinch of salt, and gelatin.  I used the French Laundry’s recipe found here.

Cut with scissors, dusted heavily with confectioner’s sugar and placed on waxed paper in a tin.

Of course they needed to be thoroughly taste tested.

Nothing is better than a cauldron o’ hot chocolate with homemade marshmellows.

This is what I did today, between taking DD to the mall. Yes, I actually went to the MALL on the day before Christmas. To be honest this was the first day I had even spent near a mall since before Thanksgiving. We actually found a parking spot fairly close to the door too. Everyone had presents and Grace had actually got most of hers, just not the ton of coal she should be getting after this past year.

I started to feel bad that I really had very little for her, so I decided to cruise Chez Target while she did what she needed to do.  I suspect my gift is coming from Spencer’s gifts…. LOL!

So shhhh- don’t tell, but I picked up a PS2 Limited Edition with the Super Singing Star or some such game and 2 microphones.  I also got one of the Guitar Hero wireless guitar and game - Extreme 80s edition.  It’s probably totally the wrong one, but what they hey, her friends can share theirs.   I think I finally figured out how to keep her from finding out what she’s getting (major snooper) - I just buy it the night before and hide it in the back of the SUV while she is shopping.   What is the saying about old age and trickery? hehehe

Merry Solstice, and a Happy Christmas to all.

No I didn’t finish all my knitting projects, thanks for asking.

Whether we are ready or not…

I just wanted to share some finished products.

Wavy Drop Stitch Scarf by Christine Vogel

1 Skein Malabrigio Worsted

This is a quick and easy scarf to knit up.

I also finished setting the twist and drying the skein of the the Tourmaline handspun Merino Superwash.  I love this colorway!

Yes it’s still snowing, but the great news is that I am home until after the first of the year!  Today I’m baking Palmiers, since the teenagers that have invaded my home, ate almost all 5 dozen of the Rosettes I made.  It’s like having a plague of locusts descend on you.

or.. I have too many damn things going on I was bound to screw up something.

I was attaching/needle felting the pansies on to the purse and if you notice, I did it on the WRONG side of the bag.  Feh…. hopefully my sister won’t notice.  I hate it when I do stupid things like that, especially when they cannot be ‘fixed’.

The Concord River

I think I need to make some lists.

Friday night I made Rosettes and burned my hand by dripping hot oil on it.  Ouch.  Finished making cookies around 9pm and fell into bed.  Saturday up at dawn to finish packaging the cookies for the cookie exchange.  But still was not sure how many cookies I needed to bring…. was praying for the exchange to be postponed.

Gathered daughter from sleepover and drove her off to her Bass lesson.  Rushing back up, get text message saying Cookie Exchange postponed!  THERE IS A GODDESS!

Drop of daughter with a list of stuff to get done (ya right).

Head off to A’s house.  She’s the friend that broke her wrist.  Bring some cookies and chicken soup.  We managed to finish the menu plan for her party this coming Sunday.  I have my shopping list.

I will be making

Spanakopita

Baked Brie

Chicken wings

Tiramisu

Chopped liver (pate)

and something else that I have already forgotten…

Then I head off with my lists to my other friend L’s - she just had a hysterectomy and I need to check in on her.    She is doing much better and I find her up and about - drop off more cookies and chicken soup.

On my way back home the plan was to drive DD down to Grandma’s.  She had promised to help out with the holiday party for $$ and she needs $$ since I am no longer dishing it out.

The pending Sunday storm is sounding very ominous, so I decided that instead of driving down and back to pick her up in the nasty storm, it made more sense for me to just drive down on Saturday, pre storm and spend the night.  Which is exactly what we did.

Driving home as the snow turned to freezing rain was not fun.  Especially with idiot semi-tractor trailers whizzing by at 60+ and kicking up huge dirty slush streams.  I ended up getting off the highway and opted to take the longer back roads.  Some of the towns clean the back roads better than others, but there was much less traffic and I could go at a nice and slow steady pace.

We even managed to stop at the local farm stand just before closing and quickly picked out a lovely tree.

Of course it was dark by the time we arrived home, but I was happy to see the driveway had been plowed.

I managed to finish my Wavy Drop Stitched Scarf.  Although it does need the ends woven in and to be blocked.

I did re-start the Tryst Cropped Sweater Vest.  I’m totally changing the pattern to knit it in one piece since it’s impossible with Noro to match the back and front (left and right) stripes.  I think hope this will work.

I still haven’t started the second Lenore sock.

Ok it’s all not going to get done.  I might as well accept that fact so I can stop panicking about getting my knitting done.  Except that DD just asked me if I could knit TWO scarves for TWO teachers by Friday.

It cannot be only 7 days left.  ACK

What a mess it was getting home in the snow yesterday.  At 12:30pm I saw two flakes, at 12:35 it was a blizzard.  All reports were guesstimating 10 to 12 inches with a peak snow fall rate of 2 inches per hour.   I finally packed up at 1:15pm to start the trek home, which is usually a 25 minute drive on back roads.

Fortunately my DD had early dismissal and I had given her strict instructions to go immediately home, which she did, along with six other teens who were now effectively stuck at my house.

I could see from my office window as I headed out, that the highway was stopped, so I decided to take the back roads as usual.  THREE HOURS later as I am getting closer to home, I managed to get through to the Pizza place near my house and ordered up 4 large pizzas to take home to the hungry hordes.

I finally pulled into the driveway at 4:35pm and got into the house with hot pizzas which the kids devoured in minutes.

We called all the parents and explained that the kids were safe, warm and fed, then we dragged out all the air mattresses, sleeping bags and blankets and the kids set up camp in the living-room to watch movies.  Whether they slept or not, I don’t know, but I went to bed early and just hid stayed in my room, along with the horrified cats.

This morning I roused the kids and got them up and out, digging out the cars and I believe they all made it to school somewhat close to on time.

I didn’t even stop to look at the mess that awaits me when I get home tonight.

Needless to say cookies did not get made and I’m a day behind in my projects.  ACK!

The weatherman is telling me that we should expect 6-10 inches of snow starting around noon today. The worst part of the storm should be hitting right around rush hour… great NOT!

At least the school is letting the kids leave 2 hours early and DD has strict instructions to head immediately home.

I feeling like I am running in a million directions. Cookies to be made (cookie exchange on Saturday), make extra cookies to take to house decorating party on Sunday. somewhere in between that I need to get DD down to Grandma’s to help with their holiday party. Now of course Grandma calls wondering if I could make some of those mini-popovers stuffed with roast beef and horseradish sauce. Ah, no… go buy a mix and yes you can borrow my mini muffin tins, but I need them back asap, because I am helping my friend A with her party on the 23rd by making some of the food, btw, last night A broke her wrist at the barn last night - right through the joint OWIE! I am waiting to hear from her to see if she needs surgery today. So guess who will be picking up the slack for the party next weekend So far I’ve promised to make some Spanakopita, Tiramisu, and I cannot remember what else at this point.

I finished the smoke ring - no pics yet

I am whipping up the Drop Stitch Scarf by Christine Vogel and I am even using the exact same yarn (Malabrigo) same colorway (Emerald) as Jen.   My bad.

I also started swatching for the Cropped Vest of Many Colors for DD.  Since Darling Daughter is now wearing all the colors in the rainbow now.  Which is a much nicer phase than her most recent and long running phase of only wearing black.  I am kind of liking this Rainbow Bright phase.  So to celebrate this new phase, I’m will be knitting this vest in Noro Kureyo, in the 102 colorway

Pretty bright eh?  Some how I don’t see this as being finished by Christmas… but maybe for her birthday party on the 29th?  One can hope.

I’m also waiting for a gorgeous skein of handspun (colorway Tourmaline) to finish drying so I can start a scarf for A - oh ya I don’t think I am going to make her birthday… 7 days from now.

And oh shit!  I need to finish that needle felting project too.   I am starting to panic.

At some point I would really, really, really like to go back to spinning the shetland to start my shawl that I have been planning since last February.  I really wanted it to be finished by now.  Ya, right.

Yes, I have just started a new etsy store with my sister. She is a weaver and dyer. I am the spinner and dyer of the rovings.

Come and check it out here.

Photos of me spinning on my Lendrum DT.  I’m spinning my handpainted merino superwash.

These photos were taken by Jerry Bedrick (Western Ave. Studios)

You can email Jerry at jerry at jerrybedrick dot com

What a blast we had, hanging out seeing friends that stopped by (hi Brian, Kali, and Abby!) It was so much fun and I cannot wait to do it again next Saturday. So if you didn’t get a chance to come by last weekend, definitely try to make this coming weekend. We will have more wine and munchies and my friend Alicia will be there selling some of her gorgeous jewelry too. And again, for the knitters enticement - it’s in the same building at the Classic Elite Hub Mill Store But before you stop there, check out my hand-spun and some of the other fiber artists in the building. There is so much amazing stuff. I will also have some dyed rovings for spinning.

Unfortunately I have no photos because DD took my camera out of my purse and forgot to return it so no pics from this past weekend

I just got some new colors in and I ordered some super-wash merino blended with tencel roving to dye so I will be doing some more dying this week and I promise to take pictures. I’m also spinning up a new colorway I dyed last week. I’m calling it Watermelon Tourmaline - just gorgeous!

I’ve also decided to do Fiber Dyeing Studio Timeshare/Classes. For $20 a day you can come and use the studio space to dye. You bring, your own fiber, dyes, crockpot and we’ll have the tables, sinks, and space to make the mess. If, you don’t have dyes, you can use mine for an additional materials fee of $15. If you don’t know how to dye - come and we will teach you. I use Washfast Acid Dyes, with vinegar then the dyes are set with heat, either in a crockpot or steamed.

Right now I have some space open for dyeing on Dec. 29th so if you are interested zip me off an email. - lchantler at gmail dot com.

I am also doing some custom color dyeing for needle felting - wait to you seen what I am working on now! I can’t tell because it’s a prezzy for my sister.

I am almost finished with the smoke ring. I’m finishing off the picot cast off now and will try to get that blocked this week too. Then I just have the other Lenore sock to finish and the Broad Street mittens to complete. There is a light at the end of the holiday knitting tunnel!

Brian got some of the colorway that I am also spinning up - check out what his done!