Call For Test Knitters

I have been working on a couple of new patterns that I hope to be postings soon. Before I do that, I need test knitters to try out the patterns to make sure they are correct. If you are a somewhat experienced knitter, (patterns include cables, some lace, and one has a tiny bit of crochet), and interested in trying out some patterns, please let me know by leaving a comment at the 'Comments' link at the bottom of this post. One pattern can be worked up in an evening, the other is a bit longer. Neither involves sewing. The patterns will be for sale when they are posted. Here is your chance to get them for free!

Battle Lake Craft Sale

Last weekend was the craft sale in Battle Lake. What a great time! There were so many vendors with really wonderful things to sell. Even though the thermometer never hit '0' degrees, there was a great turnout of shoppers. I met so many really fun and interesting people. I didn't have time to look around very much, but I managed a few good trades for myself. I only spent $10 dollars, the rest was barter for yarn!

 I traded some yarn for this wonderful pair of really warm mittens at a booth called Wooly Paws . She makes mittens, hats and more from recycled items. The buttons, thread, wool, and fleece is all repurposed. She makes wonderful funky hats, too. She has been this for many years and has developed her own mitten pattern that is very comfortable. She will even make special orders from your own favorite old sweater! Check out the website.

I also found some of my favorite soaps lotions, salves and balms. I love this stuff! Wendy, from 'Wendy's Essentials' makes all kinds of wonderful products using essential oils and lots of really 'good for your skin' butters and oils. She makes lip balms and even little carrying cases for them! She spied a skein of multi-colored yarn I had when I was setting up. The next morning she brought me a sample of the little cases she makes made from my own yarn! I later got one of her lip balms to keep in it! Mmmm...lovely.  Wendy is also interested in learning to spin. She has a wheel but doesn't quite have the hang of it. We took a look at what she has and I helped her tie on a leader correctly and tried to give some pointers to get her started. Good luck, Wendy!

Another vendor, Stubborn Oaks Bath and Beauty also caught my eye, and my display. We traded yarn for some wonderful Lemongrass soap, (can't wait to use that!); a Lemongrass and Rosemary lotion bar and a couple other treasures.

There were many, many more kinds of things for sale as well. It was really fun to talk to the other vendors and learn about what they are doing. Their enthusiasm is contagious. Lots of knowledge and talent.  I am amazed by the amount of talent and creativity displayed.

I also enjoyed meeting the shoppers. There were people from the area and people from other places who were visiting. So many stories to hear! I love learning about other people  and sharing ideas. I think it helps me to keep my craft fresh. It is a great way to get feedback on what I am doing. People are interested in the spinning process and I enjoy explaining it to them and answering questions.

No more sales now for a while. The next event for me is a workshop on Wool Dyeing I will be presenting at Dakota Fiber Mill in Kindred, North Dakota. I will post more on that soon.

Tractor Lessons

Corgi in the snow

We are supposedly in the middle of a winter storm. My husband, Clint, got called into work at 6 am yesterday. That evening he called to say that he was being held over due to the storm and would not be home until at least tonight. If the storm continues, he won't be home then either. He was worried about how much snow we might get and where the tractor was if we needed to move snow. He said I should move it closer to the shop so we (I) could plug it in if I needed it

When you live in the country there are certain things that must be considered when there is a winter storm. Things like where are the kerosine heaters, where is the tractor, where are the oil lamps, flashlights, and candles. We have been out of power here for several days at a time. We run a generator that will let us run some combination of the furnace, freezer, well pump or refrigerator for short periods of time. We used the kerosine heaters for four days during one storm. Turns out they work good to cook on too! We made soup, heated water for coffee, even made popcorn on top of the heater. What an adventure that was.

It was about 4:30 pm and would be getting dark soon. I got bundled up and went out to see what I could do about getting the tractor closer to the house and yard. I had never been on this tractor before. Clint gave me instructions over the phone, and a quick run down of the controls. I managed to get it started. It took a few tries, but not too hard. I moved the tractor up to the shop where it could be plugged in, per my instructions. It turned out it was fun to drive round! No wonder he likes it! I went to turn the tractor off. I lowered the throttle, took it out of gear, and turned the key off. The tractor idled very slowly, but didn't quit. I tried putting it in gear and letting the clutch out to kill the engine. No such luck. Finally, I decided that there was only one thing to do. I went back in the house and called Clint.

I explained to the person who answered that I needed him to tell me how to turn off the tractor. While I was waiting for Clint to come to the phone I could hear his coworkers laughing.  When he came on the phone and I explained the problem, he said, "Oh, well the tractor won't shut off until you take the boom off and put the blade on, ha, ha, ha". Okay, I said, I'll give it a try. This has always been his job, so I knew nothing about it. I got my instructions. (He also told me how to shut the tractor off.) We also discussed the best place to park it if the snow continues.

Back out I went. I was surprised at how easy it was to get the boom off. I backed the tractor up to the blade and attached that. Piece of cake. I drove the tractor around the garden and up to the house. It as about 5:30 now and very dark. I found the extension cord and got it plugged in and ready to use if I need to plug the tractor in. I am now set. I just hope I don't have to try to start it when it gets really cold. It doesn't like that.

One more lesson learned, over the phone.

First Snowfall

We had our first real snowfall of the season last night and today. At 6:00 am the driveway was white and there was some powder on the deck, but it wasn't snowing and the grass was still green. By 8:00 am the grass was white along with everything else and it was snowing again. By the time I went to check the mail around noon, the snow was ankle deep. It has continued to snow off and on through out the day. Luckily, there is no wind and it is fairly warm so the snow is settling. This is the first of three snow events forecast for the next three days.

I got the bug and put up a tree for the holidays for the first time since 2007!  It isn't the nine footer I used to put up, but it is a nice tree.

                                    

I finished one of the two knitting projects I took on for other people this season.

I designed this scarf to fit the yarn I created. The yarn is 100% wool in two natural colors, grey and white, spun in singles and plied together. It is a sport weight yarn. I had two hundred yards to work with. the person I am knitting for bought the yarn from me earlier. I didn't want the scarf to be too frilly or too blah. I decided to knit a border of all knit stitches three stitches wide on either side and six rows deep on either end. The body is stockinette with rows of eyelets spaces throughout. I added rows of crochet to each end to finish the scarf. I didn't want to used fringe. The scarf turned out to be 8" wide and 48" long. It will be a warm scarf to wear inside or outside of a coat. Now I have one item left to finish and the sale this weekend. Then, the pressure so off!