Big News! (and other stuff)

As you can see over at the right there, I've officially launched my Etsy store. Currently, I'm featuring handmade pincushions and tshirts -- more products are coming soon (keep your eyes peeled for handbags made from recycled clothing, crocheted necklaces and bracelets, knitting patterns, and more). Please shop, tell all your friends about me, ask me questions if you have any, place a custom order...you get the idea!

And now, more regular bloggy-type content:

Knitting:
I spent 2 hours yesterday fighting with yarn. In the end, the yarn won. I just wanted to get three skeins of yarn wound into balls so I could swatch for possible replacements for yarn for a design that's not working out in the yarn I originally chose. The first skein broke. Three times. And not "hit a snag, jammed hard and snapped," just...broke. Obviously, a weak batch of yarn. I won't be using it for socks, obviously (I'll probably reserve it for weaving). Skein the second had a few tangles, but at least didn't break. I eventually got it wound into a proper ball -- it was actually the most cooperative of the three skeins. The third skein...ah, the third skein. Tangled beyond belief and constant snarling around itself resulted in a more loosely wound ball than is really good, and eventually resulted in a tangle around the ball winder. So I tried rewinding it. Same problem. Repeat 6 times (yeah, I can be stubborn. What's your point?). I finally gave up and took the two ends downstairs, weighed them, fudged around until they were pretty even, and called it a day.

Kids:
And here are a couple of things I hope never come out of my mouth after the kids hit puberty:
"Zack, quit playing with your sister's dirty underwear."
"Yes, Becky, you can take off your clothes while you dance."

Pics of said kids:





Yes, that is a fluffy pink backpack on Zack's head. Why do you ask? Becky is modeling this season's delightful "blue box" hat.

Cooking:
I got the dual ice-cream maker I requested for Mother's Day. I now have 4 quarts(ish) of ice cream in the freezer. The chocolate I made was the most successful -- I've learned a ton just from those four quarts. I'm really excited about trying frozen yogurt and sorbets next! Tomorrow I'm going to finally make the spicy cheddar potato soup I promised Ab the recipe to, and I just read a fascinating article in Cook's Illustrated about how to treat potatoes so they don't get tacky (because who wants a potato in aqua sequined pants and a leopard skin top?). I just read my first issue of CI, and I kinda love it. It's not just recipes...they talk about the things they tried on the way to the recipe, what problem(s) they were trying to solve, how food works...it's pretty awesome. I'm looking forward to more issues. And also to trying the Chateaubriand recipe from this issue. Mmmmmm...meat...

posted by Laura Y. @ 12:40 PM