Felted Beads

I was scouring my closet for my knitting needle stash the other evening and found an entire box of wool roving. I had every intention of making felt beads a few years back, but somehow never got around to it. I seached on line for a good tutorial and fell in love with this one from Kleas Felted Bead Necklaces. This tutorial was originally made with children, so I figured it would be super easy. I wouldn't say that it was difficult, but I also wouldn't say that I had 100% success. Some of my attempts didn't felt enough, so they sort of started to fall apart once they were dry. Like with everything, improved my method with some trial and error. Ended up with enough beads to make one necklace. Not bad. I have quite a few more packages of wool roving, so I plan on trying this again soon. I had made the beads over the weekend, but never got around to stringing them into a necklace. We had a TERRIBLE winter storm (I think they have dubbed it thundersnow) last night, with whiteout conditions, thunder and lightening. Quite a sight to behold! I am incredibly forunate to live and work within a 2 mile radius and did not have trouble getting to work this morning. The bad storm last night completely took out the cable. (Eeek! What's a girl to do?) Which gave me ample time to string a necklace.

Dropped Stitch Faux Cowl

Something about cold weather, just makes you want to sit under a blanket, pop in a good movie (and so you don't feel like a complete couch potato), do a little knitting. I had bought this chunky pale blue yarn at the Sheep and Wool show, two or three years ago and for some reason decided, in my head, because it wasn't marked that it was wool and therefore could be felted. Well, several years later and well into a "felting" project, it was pointed out to me (and futher self tested) that it is some sort of synthetic. Not wanting to give up on it, it was suggested that I use it make a narrow scarf, connect the ends of it and make it into a faux cowl. And so I did. Thick yarn and thick needles, combined with a dropped stitch, made very quick work of it. Think I finshed this in just a couple of hours.

Soup's On!

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I don't know about where you live, but it's been down right cold here in the Mid-Atlantic states. Especially with the wind, blowing right off the bay. So, I've been in the kitchen making soups. I recently got over my fear of ground meats in soup. I thought it bothered me, but I can eat it in chili, so I finally decided to give it a shot and now wonder what was holding me back. I made this Taco Soup last night. It made quite a vat and I think I'll end up freezing part of it. To that end, I recommend using these to freeze soups and sauces. (You can either buy small one serving containers or larger ones that hold a quart or so. And they won't spill!) There is nothing better than having some homemade soup in the bank when you're having a "cupboards are bare" sort of evening. The next recipe on the docket is for Creamy Tomato Chicken Chowder, from a favorite textile designer Anna Maria Horner. She can cook, too! I made this recipe last year, it was delicious and I look forward to making it over the long holiday weekend.

Hello, 2011!

(A rare picture of my sister, my mother and I, Thanksgiving, 2010) Life is a good adventure, don't forget to enjoy the ride! Can't wait to see what 2011 brings. May we all have continued health and happiness! In 2011, you may want to try: The Long Thread's Top 100 Tutorials from 2010 Our Best Bites, Garlic Artichoke Dip Giada De Laurentiis White Bean and Chicken Chili