Hoo hoo! I'm published!

Or I will be anyway. This marks the 2nd and 3rd calendars I'll have photos published in :)

The first was a canyoneering calendar for the American Canyoneering Association - for 2005.

The second is the Knitty 1st annual calendar - if you recall, my entries featured Pasha...one of those penguiny photos will be in the calendar, can you guess which one?

and the third is actually the 2nd annual American Canyoneering Association calendar :)

A little cake, for all day munching

I woke this morning with an urge for cake. After purchasing some yogurt earlier this week for some curry experimentation, and then just not being in the mood for curry or the prepwork involved, the yogurt has sat, with nothing to contribute itself to. I generally don't like yogurt, especially that of the plain variety, but I do find it useful for cooking.

Wander over this way and see what became of said yogurt.

Pardon me. I have cake to tend to :)

All Wound Up

They look much more stunning wound up, don't they?

These three happy yarn balls are fresh off the bobbins, and are ready for plying. It was absolutely mesmerizing, winding them off the bobbins into center pull balls - and once wound up, they look just gorgeous. You can see the various colors in the yarn better in ball form than on the bobbin, I think.

Each one is about 90g (3 ounces) in weight, I can't speak for the yardage yet since I'm going to ply them up - stay tuned for results!

Singles Anyone?

Incidentally, you can click on that photo for a gratuitously large shot of singles...

I'm so pleased...you are looking at three bobbins full of singles I've spun :) A total of 10 ounces of blue faced leicester space dyed (not by me, I bought it that way) roving converted into fingering weight singles. Because I personally have not had much luck knitting with singles that thin, I plan to ply these up - 2-ply most likely, as I've not had much luck at all with Navajo plying (3-ply to keep the colorway intact) - I made a right mess the last time I tried that.

It is possible that the yarn is knittable as is (well, once the twist is set anyway) since I have a tendency to over spin, but I figure why risk the frustration? Once plied, I will likely offer the lot up for sale, as individual 2 ply skeins. While they all came from the same roving, the way they were split, some sections had more blue and purple and some sections had more pinks. Stay tuned for plied results!

A Fantastic ROAK

While I'm not an official member, I've been ROAK'd none the less. What is a ROAK? It's a random act of kindness. And I'm one of the multitudes of recipients of the ROAK planned by Elizabeth of My Favorite Things. After collecting all kinds of recipes from various knit bloggers, she formatted them, printed them up and bound them into a spiral bound book...272 pages of favorite recipes from various knit bloggers! She then proceeded to send a copy to each of the contributors! My copy arrived last night, and I've been perusing it for dinner ideas since then. Thanks Elizabeth!

You may notice the sidebar has been updated to include the various things I'm selling off. Please do contact me if you're interested in any of it. I'll probably keep it listed on my blog for a bit before taking it off to Ebay to try my luck there. I suspect various items will make an appearance as we actually go through our house and start clearing things out.

Apparently, I should go Purple.

No further cleaning has happened...and few things have found new homes. I figure I'll try here first, then perhaps post over to ebay.

Last night was spent going through a ginormous box of baseball cards - with a few football cards thrown in for good measure. Does anyone know how best to go about selling one's baseball card collection? (not mine, it's my husband's - I never would have guessed!)

Other things up for sale/trade:
a six inch black bladed Kyocera Chef's knife. It's in good order, and might need a sharpening (send it to Kyocera for sharpening) depending on how you like your cutlery, never been dropped or washed in the dishwasher.

In case you are wondering what's to be bought if I manage to sell off enough stuff? I'm drooling over digital SLR camera.

Oh and about that purple:

Your Hair Should Be Purple

Intense, thoughtful, and unconventional. You're always philosophizing and inspiring others with your insights.

What's Your Funky Inner Hair Color?

Cleanin' Frenzy

I'm not sure what is going on, but my husband has gotten on a cleaning kick again. I think it had something to do with some crazy PBS show that was playing in the background this weekend about cleaning up clutter...it must have worked its way subliminally into his mind because the next thing I knew, the front closet was being rearranged, and jackets and barely worn shoes were being placed in a pile for "redistribution."

I managed to escape unscathed so far, but will probably not escape for long.

Some items I know that will likely be looking for a new home include:

-A lightly used Omega 4000 Pulp Ejection Juice Extractor -why? I prefer smoothies, and love my Vitamix much more dearly.
-A lightly used Matfer Mandoline - because a sharp knife in my hand is much faster than fussing with a mandoline, even though I can't make crinkle or waffle cuts with a knife :D

In the way of Fiber, I'm likely going to be looking for a home for some of the following:
-Several skeins of Lion Brand Chenille - in various colors - I think I have a skein of purple, 2 skeins of black and quite a number of skeins (6 or 7) in Peacock (I think...actually, it's 8. I counted when I got home.)
-Numerous balls of Patons Beachcomber in dark blue

Any takers? Make me an offer...

just plain bored.

*sigh* I'm tied into completing some gift knitting and have high hopes for completing the other projects on needles before getting distracted and starting another project...

...sadly, I'm bored bored bored! The gift knits are easy knits, can be done anywhere, but I'm tired of knitting them (scarves. Two of them. At the same time. On the same needles. What was I thinking?!) The other unfinished projects? Cozy, of course - with 2 huge skeins of yarn to go (but I'm half way done!). I've considered ripping the thing out, and using the yarn for something else - but I don't know if I have enough yardage...the current candidate for the yarn should I be possessed to rip, is a wrap/throw from Alice Starmore...mmmm....aran knitting! The other project? Socks :D I'm on the cuffs...K2P2 ribbing...I've only got about a centimeter done...and it goes FOREVER because it's on US3 needles! The good news is I knit both socks together on the same circular needle (hooray for the magic loop - it's saved me from Second Sock Syndrome) so at least once I'm done, I'll have a pair of socks :D

Anyone else hitting a crafting slump?

BTW, I love my wheel...gratuitous yarn photos will be appearing sometime in the not too distant future :D

the Squid ate my Eggplant

...among other things.

Here at Half Baked, we seem to be troubled with minor technical difficulties....
First, yahoo groups is misbehaving, delivering messages all out of whack. It makes for wonderfully disjointed reading. Next, my email for my volunteer job kept wanting to do maintenance and kept logging me out (gotta love web based mail!) and finally, it seems I can't get into a couple sites from work today - one of them is SuperEggplant and I'm dying to find out what books she fetched from Kinokuniya (sadly bloglines truncated the entry, thus the tantalizing knowledge of a new craft book found...but which one?! Oh the curiosity is tremendous!) and it's not letting me into my volunteer webmail either. Both are returning various errors...but I've verified it is *just me* that seems to be affected. My computer has been rebooted, given a stern lecture and a time out, all to mostly no avail...after several tries using multiple browsers, I was finally successful in getting into my webmail using FireFox...but sadly, SuperEggplant's doings remain a mystery, a victim to a 113 no route found error.

Oh, and what's up with the Squid you ask? Beats me, I'm not IT savvy, but from what I can gather, it refers to this squid.

Technical Difficulties

My blog(s) seem(s) to have technical difficulties - pertaining specifically to photos uploaded directly to blogger....anyone else noticing these problems? The problem: The photos don't seem to load reliably - sometimes they appear, sometimes not. When they don't appear, often times the problem is fixed by refreshing the browser - other times, it doesn't work at all. I guess I'll have to post to blogger for assistance, and then if it's not resolved I'll have to move the photos to Flickr and update the blog accordingly. *sigh*

In other news, I did a little baking this weekend - if you are as partial to chocolate as I am, click here for details!

A day to Lament

Attn: If you have not already yet discovered, the Matcha Green Tea Frappuccino is no more.

It has officially been "discontinued" and replaced with "Pumpkin Spice Latte" or some such.

*mope*

Officially Thirty-Something!

Today is my Birthday :D And I'm officially a thirty something now. I think I'm starting to feel older, but I'm kinda hoping it's really just this stupid lingering cold.

But enough about that. Look! Look what my wonderful husband got me!! It's a wheel!!!!

Details, you ask? It's a Kromski Minstrel, in Walnut finish. Double treadle, double drive (though I have it set up as single drive with scotch tension right now). I've got the optional distaff on it (looks more castle like, no?) and an arch-style lazy kate (not in the photo). I've also got an extra large whorl for it, so I can try to teach myself how to spin much bulkier yarns (I tend to spin singles that are a bit thicker than fingering weight) .

It did require assembly, but it came together with hardly any tools (just a Phillips head screwdriver) and no difficulty at all. And yes, I have spun on it - there was a little bit of thick and thin going on at first, but I think I've gotten the hang of it now. I tried Navajo plying, but was having no luck with it - neither on my wheel nor on my spindle...so I just went back to 2-ply - since i was too eager to ply up the first yarn off my wheel :D The yarn is currently sitting on a Niddy Noddy waiting for me to give it a bath to set the twist.

Oh - In case you're wondering, Marble doesn't know how to spin - but she does show surprising amount of interest in the treadles.

Freaking out about Holiday Knitting?

Not me...not yet anyway :D I've got only a foot done on each of the scarves (of which there will be two) - so I've got about 5 feet more to go! yeek. All other knitting has since been set aside, including my socks - and all they have left is boring K2P2 Ribbing for the cuff for as long as I wish to make them (they'll be slouchy socks I think - so maybe 3 or 4 inches of K2P2 - sounds all fine and good, but it's on US3 needles...so it takes longer than I would expect)

In any case, if you are freaking out about holiday knitting, the Harlot has some help and advice. Call and listen to her at 877-SOS-KNIT. It's a hoot. And it's free in the US and Canada :D

Birthday Goodies

Not only did Amy treat me to crafting and Fruit Tarts, she also spoiled me with some birthday presents!! Such fun and colorful wrapping paper :) Tied together with coordinating yarn - and on the outside, a carebear and a skein of blue yarn - bet you'll never guess where it's from....Target! LOL! Off to the side, you'll see the fruits of my crafting time with Amy - she took pity on my pooor hands and we polymer clay'd my crochet hooks. Haven't had a chance to use them yet, but they certainly seem easier to handle now that they have proper handles on them. In addition to helping me bulk up my crochet hooks, Amy took some time to show me the basics of working with polymer clay - unfortunately, I can't show off my attempts (or the cute ebi pins Amy made while demonstrating manipulation of Fimo to me) as my camera refused to focus on such small items.

Anyway, I'm sure you're wondering what was in the wrapping paper...it was books! I looooove books!

I am now a proud owner of the ever popular Teva Durham's Loop-d-Loop - and the first project tagged is the leaf pullover :) I sure hope I have yarn in the stash already for it!

The second book is a Japanese sewing craft book - handmade Zakka. ISBN: 4579110080. It has a bunch of adorable little sewing projects inside...if I could just get past my issues with cutting fabric! LOL :)

Thanks so much Amy, you spoil me!

Pre-Birthday Weekend

What a fun weekend :)

Amy of Amyville had Chris and me over for some lunch and crafting, complete with surprise birthday treats for me! She's so thoughtful, Amy remembered I have a thing about AJ's Fruit Tarts :) and had some on hand for dessert! I felt so special and spoiled - thanks Amy!

Chris also had a surprise for each of us - handmade purses/knitting bags in our favorite colors! Mine is blue, Amy's Pink and Orange, of course! Perfect for storing a pair of knitting projects (I know, because I happened to have two - actually three projects on hand if you count both scarves I have on the same needle!)

And check out the inside - a zippered pocket and one that closes with velcro - Chris has thoughtfully placed the loop part facing out, so if you happen to have exposed yarn, it won't get chewed!

If you're interested in one for yourself, she's able to take requests on color :)

Pop over to her blog and leave her a comment - she's planning on opening an online shop soon.

Thanks Chris! I love it :D

Last bits of Summer

A little bit of summer trapped in a jar to welcome in the Autumn!

What is it? It's Prickly Pear Jelly! Made by a friend down in Tucson, and gifted to me. Yum! While my favorite season is autumn, summer in the southwest does have its delights - and prickly pear fruit is one of them. Unfortunately, none of my personal prickly pear seem to bear large fruit - I suspect part of the problem is they are cultivated for their appearance rather than their fruit - and I'm sure the fact that I don't supplement their watering doesn't help matters.

In any case, if you happen to have prickly pears on hand, and wish to make jelly, I hear the trick to making it gel is to throw in a couple unripe ones - as fully ripened prickly pears don't have much pectin.

September's Sampler!

September's Sampler Arrived - it's like getting a semi-surprise self gift in the mail!

Some of my favorite items are pictured above...they include:

• A polymer clay pendant from spicey creations
• A glass bead stitchmarker from fuzz monkey boutique (coming soon!), not photoed...oops.
• A Cletus Fetus from fetopia.net - odd, but cute in its own way
• A cute monster button from...oh dear. I've either lost the label or it wasn't labeled!
• A music themed button from a minor thread
• Some lovely stationary from the creative cupcake
• and a bi-fold pouch from pink thread & more

Darn it, I missed!

I missed my official Blogiversary. How sad is that?

In the past year I've gone from knitting rectangles, very nice, but they were just rectangles...to knitting lace, the occasional garment, and I'm still cranking on my first official pair of socks. I've learned to spin, to support my fiber addiction...and I've learned how to crochet :) Not bad.

I've continued to cook and play in the kitchen, tho not much that has been blog worthy...

And I've managed to make friends with people who have somehow, one way or another, stumbled into my little piece of the internet. Thanks for popping by and dropping the occasional comment :) I appreciate each and every one!

Here's to more blogging and more random friendships!

C is for Cookie!

I love chocolate chip cookies. Especially fresh out of the oven with a tall glass of cold milk. Mmmmmm.

While I don't have a set recipe for the Chinese feast I cooked up in celebration of my Lunar birthday (a huge vat of hot and sour soup and fried dumplings :P), I do happen to have a link to the recipe I used for these tasty chocolate chip cookies.

Head over here for the details.

And no, the chocolate chip cookies were not served with the Chinese food - we had mooncake for dessert, of course!

Celebrating the Harvest Moon

And my lunar birthday! I was born on the same day as the harvest moon in the Chinese calendar - and as such, I mark the date with the Mooncake festival every year :) I am partial to yolk free mooncakes, even though they are not considered as auspicious as those with yolks inside. This year I couldn't decide between Mung Bean cakes or Lotus Seed cakes...so I bought a box of each. Yum!