Cricket in a Biscuit

How a simple hobby lead to a simpler life "Does it save you money?" A question which invariably comes up when people find out I am a handspinner. As someone who uses a lot of yarn, it is logical to assume I would save money by making my own. "No," I chuckle, "it does not." Angora goat: a luxury fiber I'd have never otherwise tried outside of spinning. Now, just as a brief aside, handspinning has brought me into contact with much higher quality material. I rarely purchased 100% wool yarns, but I do spin them quite frequently. The cost of fully prepped spinning fiber is very much in line with commercial yarns of similar fiber content and quality. So, while my costs have increased, the quality of my finished items has as well. Still, spinning is a hobby, and as such, it is done for enjoyment, not economy. Supported spindling: my favorite way to spin. I used to feel guilt over my spinning related expenses, due mainly, I suspect, to being a...

"Don't use your head, and the whole body usually suffers." "Poor planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part." Two quotes, the first from my grandpa, the second from a high school teacher, which convey the same message; it is incumbent on you to think things through and plan ahead. Failure to do so will result in consequences which are yours to handle. The paradigm shifts, however, when you are married and/or have kids. Poor planning on the part of one — or both — can have implications with a broader reach. We were hit with a pretty big snowstorm on Friday, 17.2 inches before 3 o'clock in the afternoon. It was not a surprise storm — we had several days warning, but still we were unprepared, and there were consequences. Fortunately, none were serious, and we learned some good lessons. First lesson: When a storm is coming, move the vehicles off the street before there is a foot of wet, heavy snow on the ground. Maybe even pu...

Soap, socks, sheep, sewing, sawing and siblings Last week , I mentioned wanting to try an old, but new to me, recipe for pumpkin patch pie. The little girls and I stuffed a pumpkin with apples, dried cranberries, cinnamon and sugar, too much nutmeg and baked it. In the end, it wasn't as good as we'd hoped, but still worth another shot after some adjustments. Our savory fall dish before, during and after baking. I tried a couple new soap recipes. The first was a deodorizing kitchen soap made with coffee. I found the recipe in a book of hot process soaps checked out from the library. Before returning the book, I copied down the most intriguing recipes. The first I tried was a goat milk soap. It was a nice soap, but through it I discovered a preference for cold process. Fortunately, most recipes can be used with either process, so I used cold process for the kitchen soap. It was a large batch. I have a  mold Darren made from a rain gutter, which turns out the perfe...

Can you believe it is October already?! My dad always says time passes more quickly as you get older. Boy, is he ever right! I'm sure having a million things going all the time also contributes. I don't have much to show for crafts this week; my life is being consumed by another large project. However, I did start and finish a pair of mittens and made some progress on a project I haven't touched in a long time: my sweater spin . I am enamored with that project, but so many things keep me from it.  The mitten project has been a lot of fun as well. What little kid doesn't want to wear mittens made from their very own sheep? Handspun, hand-dyed and knit for a young girl from the fleece of her very own sheep. Sweater spin: one single down, many more to go. On the fitness side, I finished Country Heat , which was a great program. I really enjoyed. Over thirty days, I lost five pounds, which I credit mostly to being disciplined with clean eating. I got a l...

**Updated: when initially posted, this recipe called for 6 cups of flour. I have since tried it with 6 1/2, and the dough is much easier to handle.**     I never thought I would see the day when I would consider bread a huge expense, yet it has arrived. The kids are eating more all the time, which means far less left over after supper. With nothing in the refrigerator to bring to work, Darren has to fall back on the ol' two sandwich option. Lunch in our house has become a 12-slice a day affair. I've been buying bread four loaves at a time! They last almost a week. Then a lady in my spinning group posted this video: Normally, I would have scrolled on by, but spending right a round $50 per month — on bread , can get a person thinking it might be worth the few minutes spent watching. Plus, it's a solid group of gals, I spin with. Most of them are also foodies, and I trust their judgement. It worked out that Darren and I made a rare trip to the mall shortly a...