In Which You Ask; What Has Happened?

For yesterday I set up an organized craft for The Bug. Not only that it came from Disney's Family Magazine. Shocking all really. Generally The Bug doesn't even respond to organized crafts and I much prefer her to explore these things on her own. Supplying her with supplies and images but that's about it.
But this looked like fun.... She dipped a spiky ball in paint and threw it at paper. Yes, outside, Mr. Gnome actually had to ask. Simple enough. After the first reluctant throw she was hooked. The funky marks the ball made were just too fun.
Be advised to stay well away from the firing range, getting splatted with paint is gooey. Then when they were dry she drew monster faces all over the paper.
Monster faces must have sharp teeth. Or this is what I was told.
Hooray for the occasional organized craft. fun fun.

And More Socks!

A few weeks ago I did finish Mr. Gnome's BFF socks. He hasn't said anything about the different colors.....rather surprised by that. I did reverse the cables on the second sock. This is usually something I think to do while knitting the first sock then totally forget about when it comes time to knit the second sock. The yarn is Unique Sheep Luxe, a merino/silk blend.
This finish meant I could cast on for the Cookie A. August Shipment. Almost done with the first sock!

{this moment}

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

As Inspired by SouleMama.

Oh yeah the 80's

Somehow with all of the excitement I never really got to show you my '80's Sock Hops Socks. You can kind of see them in my '80's outfit, I had on orange tights under the socks. Fun bit of orange peeking out of the holes. Here they are in all their glory.
The pattern is Fun & Fancy from Think Outside the Sox. The green is Lobster Sox that I got in Vermont last year. It is dyed in a lobster pot. Cracks me up. The yellow is leftover from Sock Madness Round 5 socks.
It was a neat knit. Different and a bit tedious at times what with the tangling and all. But good practice for the wrapping needed in intarsia.

Peaches!

One week ago The Bug and I went Peach picking! Finally....We've been so busy..ugh.

So here we go peaches. I don't think I got as many as I sometimes do but we've been getting them in smaller quantities at the farmer's market just to eat so maybe it all adds up.

I made Peach preserves, plain this year. Last year I made a spiced one. It was quite good but I thought I'd keep with the keeping it simple preserves I've been making. 5 and a half jars of summer peachey goodness.
I've tried out canning peach pie filling. Oh this stuff smells fantastic. I doubled this recipe thinking that would give me two jars but it gave me four. Not sure if it will be four pies or two rather full pies. Or just toppings for pancakes or ice cream. In the past I've frozen peaches to make into cobblers and while they are fine coming out of the oven they are always too runny the next day. So this year the only peaches I froze are for eating. There was also a batch of drying. Just the one this year last year's peaches tasted funny after six months.
I also made a peach cobbler for right now. Then to make it more exciting I made Ice Cream, Rose Water Ice Cream, Vegan Rose Water Ice Cream. I used a recipe from The Vegan Scoop. It tasted great. All rosey and not too sweet. I have an ice cream machine but I had forgotten that the bowl wasn't in the freezer. So that did happen. It wasn't a good consistency and I blame the lack of churning for that. Will have to make another flavour soon so I can test that theory. I have hopes for this cookbook. My other vegan ice cream cookbook uses a lot of coconut and maple syrup, things I don't really like the taste of. Also a lot of labour intensive grinding of cashews, which I do like the taste of but not so much the price.

And then on top of all of this fun....

We've been doing crazy things to the basement! And by we I mean people we hired.A bathroom where there was just an empty room. It's Mr. Gnome's baby. He's been dreaming about this bathroom since we bought the house.
And new floors throughout the rest of the basement. Resulting in me rearranging the craft room.
Brighter and happier. And Done!

Buttons!

At the very end of last year, the last day in fact, Mr. Gnome, The Bug and I went antiquing. This is not something we do as a family often or really at all. And even when the bug and I go wandering through the old things we don't generally venture too far. But this was a deliberate outing out into the wilderness that is Illinois. Previously the computer had been living on the dinning room table. Making me regularly nervous about spills and in general annoying me. I decided I wanted an older desk that closed to put it in. Something small just big enough for the lap top. I'd looked a wee bit myself but hadn't found the right thing. To my surprise Mr. Gnome liked the idea and wanted to go out looking with me. Saying something about wanting to have a say in the furnishing of our home. Can you imagine?
Amazingly we found this beauty in the first place we looked and we both really liked it. It wasn't too big, you'd be surprised at how large desks can be. It's a nice color. And I am always excited about drawers. Mr. Gnome drilled a hole in the back for the electric cord in goes the computer. Perfect.
Recently I acquired a bunch of funky buttons and have wanted to something funky with them. Something where they are sewn on something for some reason. I've never had a use for a table runner but why should a table runner have to be on a table? Thus the Bug and I made this. I found the fabric at the Upcycle Exchange, cut it out and hemmed the four sides.
We both took a side. This is a detail of my side. Listened to an audio book and had fun picking out and sewing on buttons.
This is The Bug's side.
Up close of The Bug's side.

The Knitting

I really have been knitting too. Not just talking about knitting and collecting yarn. I started two new projects before I left for Portland.

Socks for Mr. Gnome. I cast on for these the day I left and finished the first sock on the way home. It's Cookie A.'s BFF socks using four mini skeins of Unique Sheep I got last year at the Maryland Sheep and Wool festival. Each skein is a slightly different shad of green. You can see where each one starts. I'm being ok with that....or at least trying to be ok....
This is Batik. I cast on for this the night before I left. Made the mistake of knitting on it between sleeping fits in LAX thus totally screwing it up. But not in an obvious sort of way, in a sort of way that I didn't notice, despite knitting on it in Portland, until I was waiting to get on the plane to come home. It's a shawl knit from the top up, meaning you cast on nearly 400 stitches and I had to rip all of that out. Here it is restarted and further than I'd gotten before.

And then!!!!!!

Within days of getting back from Sock Summit I got the August shipment for the Cookie A. Sock Club. Wow. Yarn and socks from all directions!

Kitty appreciates the yarn and orange tissue paper. The yarn is from a Verb for Keeping Warm, the owner and dyer, Kristine Vejar, did the class I took at Sock Summit on natural dyeing. I did get three mini skeins from them at Sock Summit but nothing like this color. Pink; another shipment another of the Bug's favorite colors.
And of course this means Cookies! These are a Chocolate Chocolate chip cookie. They are a bit different and Oh so good! This recipe was brought to us by the Kristine Vejar. It all comes around. Oh sweet knitting.

{this moment}

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

As inspired by SouleMama.Ok I'm cheating this week I just want you to look for Mr. Gnome and The Bug. Can you find them?

Weekdaying....

Families of those in the entertainment world don't weekend. At best we can weekday.
This past week we went away for a few nights in a southern part of the state. We hiked

and played miniature golf. And tried to ignore where we were..... all was grand.

{this moment}

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.
As inspired by SouleMama.

Sock Summit-The Adventure

Oh gosh I know I'm STILL writing about Sock Summit. Though maybe I was just posting pictures before. It was really cool and I want to share. I also want to sleep for the rest of the week. What me crash after excitement and people? Crazy. This will Probably be the last Sock Summit post then on to our regularly unscheduled blogging.
First on the adventure was getting there. After a cancelled flight, then a late flight, this is where I slept Wednesday night because I missed my flight out of LAX. Why? Don't get me started just never ever change planes out of that airport. ugh.......

But then I was there. Wooo. I traded out all of my stitch markers. Most at the lunch time meet up some in the market and even a couple out on the street. They are all so fab and unique. Some come with stories some are just pretty. They are all awesome.
Because of the flying adventure from you know exactly where I missed one class. My other three were fantastic. Natural dying was inspiring and enabling. Fleece on Your Feet was even more inspiring and enabling and very educational. Then the final class, and my longest, was a color work class with Janel Laidman. Above is the mini sock we knit in class. Well I got to the heel turn in class. Great info on knitting and designing a color work sock.
And finally the lovely stash enhancement. A bit of yarny goodness, a pattern, a book, and some natural dye and mordant to play with. Also not pictured I got a Sock Summit pin and a I Sniff Yarn pin. I like pins.
OH all the pretties to knit and here I am with some commissioned work to do. Ah well, have to pay for the yarn somehow.

Sock Summit-Portland Food

Oh my the food. Everywhere you go there are signs proclaiming Vegetarian or Vegan food here. Portland made Vegan cheese in the farmer's market. Lovely, amazing.
Mom's Portobello Ballotine from Portobello. Gorgeous I got a taste and wow. I had an eggplant stuffed ravioli with chili oil and cilantro pesto, less photogenic but oh so good.
Mom's Peanut Butter and Bacon Burger from Off the Griddle. Tempeh Bacon, peanut sauce, cheeze sauce, with a nice rice burger and tart apples. What a crazy and amazing combination of flavors!
After dinner I had the Chocolate Torte at Portobello. Oh wow Most Creamy Vegan thing EVER.

This is the vegan donut I had at VooDoo Donuts. It is a cream filled donut. If you see something else that's on you.
I believe I may have gained a few pounds out there. So much real food, edible food, food where the preparer thought about what should go together and how it would taste best.

Next time I promise to flash my stash enhancements. It's not too bad......

Sock Summit....Wow.....

Oh my goodness, where to begin....how much...this will have to be a multi post thing... first we will talk about Sock Summit itself.
The Cookie A. and Janel Laidmen sock club meet up. Ummm yes...I'm in a stargate with Cookie and Janel.....I'm pretty sure I peed.....Really just too many level of geekery. It was cool I got to meet people in the group and put faces to Ravelry names. We had lunch before this and I was sitting next to Janel; she is a super neato person.
The Fleece to Feet competition. The sheered three sheep right there in the convention center then six teems starts carding, spinning and knitting like the wind. Oooh and I accidentally kineard the Yarn Harlot. Only proper really.
The Sock Hop. Crazy times.
More dancing at the flash mob. It was hilarious. Go watch if you want a laugh.
Crazy knitters standing in line for the market to open. Are you getting an idea of how many people really were there?
And only just a wee bit of Yarn Bombing.

Next time I'll do the fabulous food of Portland. Oh wow.