Category Archives: Uncategorized

Spinning, Crocheting, Soap and Strawberry Wine

crochet, soap, Spinning, Uncategorized

Just a quick update – I am attempting to use the spinning wheel for short periods nearly every day, but I can’t say that it has “clicked” yet. I can’t seem to get the bobbin to take up the twisted fibers, though yesterday it did for a very, very, brief period. I’ve read this is a common problem for new spinners. I know my fiber is getting over twisted. I have watched many videos and they all make it look pretty easy. They advise to treadle slower and tighten the tension, but they don’t show repeated trial and errors until they get it right. While a video like that might be reassuring to the new, struggling spinner (me) I don’t suppose I (or anyone) would want to sit through it. So I’ll just keep trying, and like I said before I let you know when it “clicks”.

I have continued to do a lot of crocheting, and knowing that I can create things out of yarn keeps me motivated to learn to make (spin) yarn.

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I didn’t make the purple slippers for any particular reason, but an extra pair of slippers is always a good thing on hand. It’s a pretty simple pattern that I don’t even have to read anymore. So I can whip these up pretty quickly. I found a free pattern on-line for the hat on the left. When it was finished, and I tried it on, I discovered it was a little small for me. Upon hearing this my husband tried it on. He really liked it and adopted it for his own. I’m currently making another one using the same pattern but with a larger hook. While talking to my sister recently she told me that “ponytail” or “messy bun” hats were becoming very popular. After looking at some patterns I decided to make one. Rather than print out a pattern, I decided to use a stitch that I like and see if I could make one up. The results are the grey hat on the right. It fits me pretty good. Yes – this will definitely work when wearing my hair in a ponytail.

I’ve also been catching up on making soap. One of the nice things about making soap is that this can be done during the time of year when other activities (specifically outdoor activities) can’t be done. After the holidays my supplies were getting low, so my plan is to make one batch per week until I get caught up. I currently have Pumpkin Spice (ready in 3 weeks), Aloe (ready in about 4 weeks) and Coconut Soap (ready in about 5 weeks) curing.

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Coconut Soap Ready to Pour in the Mold

 

Since we still have a lot of strawberries in the freezer from this years crop I decided that I could use 3 quarts to experiment with making a batch of wine. I first read some recipes online. Since I didn’t follow any of them precisely I won’t source them, and since I don’t yet know how my wine will turn out I’m not going to give you my recipe either. I defrosted the strawberries then mashed them. I added sugar, then boiling water. After this had cooled I added my yeast. I stirred it daily and I could smell and taste that it was becoming alcohol. Yesterday, after about a week in the crock, I strained the mash and put the wine in a bottle with an airlock for the process to continue.  It will probably be a few weeks before that is complete. After that it should probably age for several months, but if we really like it that probably won’t happen.

 

My New Endeavor

Spinning, Uncategorized

Well did you take a guess?

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Were you right?

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Learning to spin is something I’ve been thinking about doing for several years. Shortly before Christmas when I began looking at spinning wheels my husband said “go for it”. He told me to find what I wanted and we would buy it.

I passed on what I thought was a good deal for a used wheel on Etsy, mostly because we like shopping local and supporting small businesses when possible.

I learned that a spinning and weaving shop in our area was having a big New Years Day sale so my husband and I decided to check it out. http://heritagespinning.com/ We looked at several previously owned wheels before discovering this beautiful new wheel that was marked down nearly 50%. Both Joan who owns the shop, and Cherie (sorry if I spelled it wrong) who teaches spinning classes, were very helpful and informative. I decided at this point to learn what I can on my own, but I might take some classes in the future.

I expect this to be a challenge for me since it requires my foot to do one thing while my hands are doing something completely different. I think it will be slow going because I am not really a coordinated person; I’m horrible at dancing and at any type of sports, and I never learned to play a musical instrument. I did learn to crochet, although I learned that at a much younger age, and I have gotten pretty good at using the tractor to move dirt with the bucket, so there is hope. I have read that it is a matter of developing the “muscle memory” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muscle_memory  so what I need to do is practice and eventually it will click.

I’ll be sure to let you know when it does.

 

Thanksgiving Throughout the New Year

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2016 was a good year for us. We are truly grateful for so many blessings, and with that statement I share with you my 2017 resolution. My resolution is not something new that I’m going to start but a continuation of something that I have been doing, that I need to continue and perhaps do more of.

My resolution for 2017 is to acknowledge and give thanks for all of our blessings.

When I was a teenager, I remember my dad saying, “gratitude will change your attitude”.  At that time, I didn’t get it. These words were simply dads way of pointing out that I (or someone) had a bad attitude, or as he also liked to say I (or someone) “needed an attitude adjustment”.

As I matured I came to have a greater understanding of this phrase and believe this to be true. One time when my two youngest daughters, who are three years apart in age, were preteen and young teen, they were fighting over a scarf. For some reason, that day, the girls both decided to wear that particular scarf. I don’t believe the scarf belonged to either girl specifically so it was probably a hand-me-down given by a friend or relative. The girls’ words to each other were mean and hateful, and I thought that they were going to start hitting each other. I put an end to the fight by confiscating the scarf; neither girl would wear it that day. Having three sisters myself, I realized that fighting over clothes was something sisters do, but this fight was so disturbing that I could not overlook it. I couldn’t understand how these girls who had so much – lived in a nice house, were well fed, had closets and dressers full of clothes, toys, books etc… could be fighting over something so petty. These girls obviously did not appreciate all that they had, they did not realize what things were truly important, and they needed an attitude adjustment. I gave the girls an assignment. Each girl was to write down 25 things that they were thankful for and give me the list by the end of the day.

This was a powerful lesson. As I was driving to work that morning I began developing my own list in my mind. I saw the blue sky and the sun still coming up and was grateful for the gift of sight. I could hear the radio playing and the noise the vehicle made as it traveled down the road, my hands and feet worked properly to operate the vehicle, and these were blessings that not everyone was fortunate enough to enjoy. I thought about how I was thankful to being born in, and live in Michigan, in the USA. My list grew to include my job, my (now) husband, my family and so many others in my life, and I was truly humbled. Most of these things were not things that I had earned or deserved, they certainly were not entitlements, and any of these things could be taken away from me at any moment.

Humility turned to empathy and compassion as I thought about people who did not have these things, and I realized it was from the goodness of God that I was who I was, I had what I had, and I was living the life I was living.

Eventually I came to realize that greed and pride cannot coexist with gratitude and humility, and while empathy and compassion may foster kindness, they are not compatible with anger and resentment. Not only does acknowledging and giving thanks for my blessings make me a better person, it gives me a peaceful feeling.

I’m not sure if this lesson had an impact on my daughters. I did receive their lists and while I can’t tell you what was on them, I can tell you that neither of them listed the scarf.

I don’t know that I will write a gratitude journal, but I will not wait until the 4th Thursday in November to celebrate Thanksgiving. I will carry the spirit of Thanksgiving with me throughout the year.

Wishing You a Happy New Year and Godspeed in 2017.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Advice From Dad – Everyone Needs One

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“Everyone needs one” that was what my dad said after using a garlic peeler similar to the one pictured below.

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Garlic Peeler

Because I find these garlic peelers to be such a handy kitchen tool, I had ordered some to have for sale along with our garlic this fall. Unfortunately my order did not arrive until after we sold our garlic. On Christmas day my husband suggested we give them to our guests, and everyone was happy to receive one.

Two days ago my dad called. He had tried his garlic peeler and was amazed at how well it worked. His words,”Everyone needs one,” echoed my thoughts, and in fact that is why I bought some to have available for sale. These simple little tools make peeling garlic so easy.

While this isn’t a sales pitch, I do have some available. If you realize that dad is right and you need one you can contact me at ruth20012001@yahoo.com .