Woolarina

happy times!

2008-10-02T15:48:00.002-05:00

After the crazy stress of the past few months, it's finally easing up! Some projects at work are disappearing, the garden is slowing down, and yarny commitments are more manageable. Some super happy stuff:

- armful of green peppers I picked today, and the couple dozen that are still growing on the plants. plus the blooms still doing their thang! It's hard to wait for them to turn red though...
- oktoberfest, the real deal!
- handspun yarn that I didn't spin. am in love. look how pretty! and that it was got in a trade is even better...
- merino cashmere nylon yarn, and the fact that more is winging its way to my home soon. mmmm.

Crafty #6!

2008-09-30T06:19:00.002-05:00

Sunday's Fifth Anniversary of Crafty Bastards rocked, as usual! Somehow they managed to pack even more awesome into the space! More vendors, more activities, more food! Such a good day, even with the rain that kept passing through!

Thank you to everyone who stopped by! There were so many people that had made stuff using my yarn, and that always makes me so happy! :)

Thanks also to people that helped out with the Craft Mutiny crochet/knitting demos - Lucy and Candace! You totally rock - hope you had fun too!!

Crafty Bastards! SUNDAY!!

2008-09-26T06:20:00.002-05:00

So somewhere in the midst of the crazy, I've been preparing for Crafty Bastards! HAha - in my free time! ;) I have such an insane amount of wool in my living room right now. Yarn and fiber and soft soft soft! Even new colors! I will be sad to let it go!

of course, now that it's getting cool out again - hats, mitts, scarves

yarn - superwash merino, falklands, merino nyln, merino bamboo, merino cashmere(!) nylon

Fiber - merino, superwash wool, merino-silk (oooh lala, so dreamy!), bfl, corriedale!

Man, I'm so excited!! See you on Sunday!!

Volunteer your time, for yarn?

2008-09-18T17:51:00.003-05:00

We are still looking for a few volunteers to help us run our swap! Do you have an hour or two to spare Sunday? Do you want to have first dibs at some pretty cool craft supplies for cheap? Want to be around like-minded crafty people? Can we tempt you with some fun items from our booths?

Or do you have a crafty skill you'd love to share? Do you knit, crochet, felt, spin, make baskets, sculpt, paint? Anything crafty you'd love others to see? Let us know! Email us at craftmutiny@gmail.com if you'd like to help us out in any way!

I'd love to throw in some yarn or fiber if you can help out! Let us know!

launchfest!

2008-09-09T16:19:00.002-05:00

My work is having a gigantic free open house! model rocket launches, music, food, science, nobel prize winners, and more! details here!

favorite?

2008-09-07T18:01:00.001-05:00

So I have a secret little project.. and I can't decide what photo to use! I am digging the rainbows, so there's that, but I love the handspun! What do you think? Let me know in the comments!

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wow.

2008-09-02T06:40:00.001-05:00

I think Tina sums it up perfectly in these two posts. Just like I thought John Edwards should have been home with his sick wife, this lady should clearly be home taking care of her family. wth, john mccain!?

fo's of another sort (yep, more)

2008-08-25T20:28:00.002-05:00

I really think the tomatoes are half dead - they are turning brownish and getting crackly leaves. And yet.. still there are tomato flowers, green tomatoes, yellow and red tomatoes. They won't give up! But they are lovely. We've had tomato salad (hit!), salsa (hit!), tomato sauce (miss, then redeemed with some more cooking + meat), and just plain tomatoes.

I want to try tomato and bean salad, and greek stuffed tomatoes. And figure out how to make some yummy tomato sauce to freeze for later!

When I was growing up, we always had green beans. Fresh in summer, frozen in winter! I really don't know how my dad kept up with it... so much work to wash and cut and blanch them! I prefer tossing them whole into whatever dish I am cooking, or sauteeing in onion/garlic goodness. But hopefully we can enjoy these when it's cold out!

A couple weekends ago we went to the Montgomery County Fair. I had so much cotton candy I almost had a bellyache! We hit up the usual animal barns and finally shelled out some money to see the demolition derby!

So many hurty cars! :)

Dear little bunny: I love you! Come home with me?

Fuzzmouth!

There were a number of bunnies up for judging, and loads of them were disqualified due to does being labeled bucks, and vice versa! Um? What's wrong with the kids these days that they can't tell who has what? Aiaiai. Still. WANT. BUNNY.

tomato time

2008-08-20T06:28:00.002-05:00

So the tomatoes are here! Not just the icky ones that were half rotten. Perfect red (and yellow) tomatoes! I am drowning in tomatoes, even with tossing probably a third of the "too wormy/buggy/ugly/etc" into the compost.

Monday I got an entire 4 pounds of tomatoes! Not even including the cherry tomatoes. Tuesday was at least two pounds I bet.

We've also been eating a *lot* of green beans and peppers! I didn't even want to plant the green beans, and thought many times that for sure they'd be a waste of time and space, what with ground hog and deer issues. Those stunted little plants sure are going crazy out there! I come home with a handful or two each time I am out there!! Yum. Dear green bean, I am sorry for doubting you. Maybe next year you'll even get some compost/fertilizer!

Finally, some creepy bunny on the side of a parking lot at work. I can deal with the missing ears, but the eyes?? yikes!

how does your garden grow?

2008-08-11T06:39:00.002-05:00

it is still alive! somewhat! hehe.. no really, it's great. Only a bunch of squash died.

The tomatoes are doing well, though some (all?) of the roma (?) tomatoes are suffering from Blossom End Rot, making them ugly and gross. I picked one of these round suckers (not Romas) shown on Saturday, and it's waiting on a windowsill.

One of my peppers cleaved itself in a storm last week, so I harvested tons of tiny bell peppers. The storm also hammered the watermelons... hoping they recover a little!

I am fighting cucumber beetles, squash bugs, and some sort of caterpillar on my tomatoes. sigh...

the cucumbers continue to churn out cukes, though the last few have been pretty bitten up by the bugs. I'm hoping they continue a bit still!

Knitwise, I have loads of FOs! It's coming up to craftfair season, so I've been busy busy. Hats and mitts and neckwarmers. merino and angora and soft! Even a shawl! And *finally* my linen tshirt is done! I just need some sunshine and a camera...

kits!

2008-07-26T12:21:00.003-05:00

I made a bunch of kits for Crafty Bastards Silver Spring, and am finally photographing them..

Some are up on my etsy shop!

Felt catnip toy kits are on woolarina

And these support the Craft Mutiny!

Pin kit from Tina Seamonster:

Dabbler Zine #1, focusing on the amazing world of bottle caps - collectors, crafters, projects YOU can do!

tired of the green veggies, already!

2008-07-24T07:00:00.003-05:00

There are still the remnants of a dozen cucumbers and several zucchini in my fridge, despite eating and eating them.. and a tub of frozen blackberries that didn't thaw in time to make it into jelly and jam last weekend. Let's just say that I do not need to get to the farmers market in a while.

The watermelons are growing wild, including one that is hanging down from a fence! (um? what do I do here? stick a box under it?!) The zucchinis are coming quick, and there are tons and tons of peppers - just waiting for them to change color!

My favorite guy at the moment in the garden is this - summer squash. This picture has a little tiny baby squash! :) or look here.

My husband is already rolling his eyes at the veggie eating happening around here.. will have to start giving it away, or hiding it better in food! :)

one yummy thing from this week: cucumber salad! Basically, vinegar and sugar and some spices and onion (added later). YUM!

Next time - knitting! I have been inspired by all the green I suppose, and am finally working on finishing up my linen (ick!) shell border t-shirt kit I got at stitches two years ago. man it hurts my fingers, but I am past the sleeves and just have the raglan top to do! This would be great to wear in the summer heat, so maybe by the end of the month I'll have it done?

DC spinning?

2008-07-22T07:17:00.002-05:00

Any local spinners out there? It looks like there will be a spinning group on Saturday.. Details here!

gardening fun

2008-07-20T06:45:00.003-05:00

The produce is starting to pour in - sort of lopsidedly, unfortunately! I'm swimming in cucumbers, which is lovely, but wow - after the 8th one, I'm hoping they save some for later in the summer!

The peppers are also out in full force, though none have turned red/yellow/orange as they should. Yet. There are nearly a dozen each on two of my plants, so hopefully they will color before I have to pluck em! Some of them started getting soft bruised spots so I pulled them off before they were ruined.

The onions are starting to fall over so I've had little onion-lets. Some were planted rather late spring, so not a lot of growth. I will have to plan better next year. I tried to alternate where my plants were planted (like, not all zucchinis in one spot, tomatoes interspersed with onions, etc.) to try and fool the critters that tend to eat the plants, and it seems to be working ok. I will do this better next year though!

Garlics are also getting pulled as they fade. They are all tiny, but still pretty fragrant. Yum.. I am going to eat a few but save most of them to replant once it's cooler again. They are really an over-winter crop so next summer I'll be rolling in garlic! :P

Oh! And I got.... a bean! A single solitary bean from one of my midget bean plants (they were decimated numerous times by groundhogs and deer, poor things)...

woolarina sale!

2008-07-20T06:36:00.002-05:00

I've actually had this yarn laying around waiting to be rewound for quite some time. Lazy busy girl I am!

It's great stuff - a definite fave - Louet! Sport and Fingering weight to go along with the bulky weight that is already in the shop. It's all superwash. Great for socks or shawls or kid sweaters!

Louet has raised prices for the second time this year, and I'm afraid it's getting on the high end of what I can afford (I already can't afford to wholesale louet!!). So I am thinking I'll move away from it and see if some of the other yarns out there are suitable. What does this mean for you?? $2 off all Louet in the shop! That's skinny merino, speedy sock, and heavyweight.

My favorites of the batch are these two!

inflating cucumbers and deliciousness

2008-07-14T18:18:00.003-05:00

That's really the only way to describe them. They appeared since Friday, it seems. It looks like someone blew them up like a balloon. Seriously, Friday they were like half a centimeter wide by 2-3 inches! Hm. There are quite a few of them, so I see some cucumber salad in the future! I wonder how you know if they are ripe? Anyhow, they are on the bottom right here:

Top left are cherry tomatoes, still more popping out. Then my sad looking beans blooming - perhaps there will be a bean or two to eat? Then some bigger tomatoes on the bottom left. I also had a whole bunch of plum-looking tomatoes coming out. Can't wait for them to get bigger and redden!!

the great thing about today was that I took the time (and a bag!) to get over to some of the blackberry bushes near the garden. Man oh man! Perfect timing! I got a bunch, then went to check out bushes on the other side of the gardens, and found even more... I need to go back with a big bowl I think! :)

No pictures yet, but last week I also got a bunch of garlic out of the ground, and my first onion that had fallen over, poor thing. They all smell and look delicious, though the garlic didn't have long enough to form a head of cloves. I'll eat some of it, but am saving most of it to stick back in the ground this fall. It will be nice big garlics next year at this time!

Golly, listen to me all excited about nature! I always dreaded going outdoors when I was younger, or even to see my dad's garden. Loved the produce, hated the itchy grass, mosquitoes, ticks! Bleah. Guess I am willing to go to lengths to have it though! Including scooping a tick out of my car today. EW! At least it wasn't on me!

I should be preparing crafty stuff for Crafty Bastards applications, but it seems so soon already! There has been no break this year - there's always something more to do. sigh.. Am off to find yarn to photograph and think up rad things to sell. (and maybe a blackberry recipe or two!)

gardening still going strong!

2008-07-08T20:04:00.003-05:00

My super gardener garden neighbor came back from a few weeks away on vacation and told me my garden looks great! Geez I hope so - I have spent hours and hours pulling weeds and deterring animals and replanting (and replanting again) the darn zucchini.

In the upper left are my newest tomatoes - from a plant I got at kmart of all places, in the midst of the groundhog tomato/zucchini feast when I thought the others might not make it much longer! Then teeny little cukes on the right, that now live within a fence trying to keep the deer out. My first peppers on the bottom left, and an onion on the right! I can't wait for the onion! Or the tomatoes!! The plants are blooming like mad now, so hopefully soon! They are finally filling up their cages!

We've already had two meals of basil - once on a nice crisp pizza crust and last night pesto! WOW... why haven't I made pesto before? It is delicious!

The watermelons are the only plant besides garlic and onions I can leave unsupervised - and it is moving to take over the garden!! Some of my squash/zucchinis are in the back within a fence.. I can't bear to lose them again!

Though it's tons of work, I am so glad to have started gardening! It's still proving to be a workout, in addition to the 3/4 mile walk from my office! Sure, it's a drag staying even later at work, but it's so nice to go out there and accomplish something, even if it's just decimating all those weeds! ;) Ask me again when the rains stop coming and I'll have to haul water a mile up a sketchy road, or from a sketchy swamp in a bucket! For now, it's great though!!

bigger photos on flickr.

happy birthday fireworks!

2008-07-08T19:21:00.002-05:00

so going to New York was the best birthday ever! We went up friday and got a sweet hotel deal at a fancy pants hotel! Times Square!

We wandered and wandered and wandered some more... there were new shoes, there was yarn and yarn, and food and drinks. Fireworks on the East River in triplicate (from three barges). A show!

Mostly, it was the best birthday ever! Yay for thirty!

now my legs are still achey and I am still recovering from an awful cold I had the whole time. :( cough cough. I hope my thirties are healthier than this! ;)

crafty rocked!

2008-07-02T06:43:00.002-05:00

As usual! I was so happy to do my yarny thing in Silver Spring this time! My hometown! YAY! The yarning went amazing well - knitters are a crazy crazy bunch, picking up all these yarns and fibers in the 95+ degree weather! Thanks to everyone who came out! I saw a lot of old customers and a bunch of newer people!

The craft Mutiny Craft Supply Swap went well too! We even had a bunch of craft demos that went way better than I imagined! Crochet, Knitting, Gocco, Monster Head Making, and decorating a fridge door! I think we'll have to do this again for the fall crafty!

Now I am recovering from a sinus infection. Bleah. I really really need to go to work today though, (and more importantly, to get my pedicure tonight!) so I will try... wish I was still in bed though!

I'll try to round up some photos later!!

Free Crafty Demos Tomorrow!!

2008-06-27T13:36:00.004-05:00

Want to learn something new? Try your hand at crochet or gocco printing? Meet other crafty folks? The Craft Mutiny is organizing several demonstrations tomorrow. Check out our schedule!

11 AM - Crochet with Chauncey (Swap Booth) - see how this DC area artist gets his crochet on!
12 PM - Shrunken Punks Panty Hose Zombie Heads with Spooky Daddy (Booth # 58) - Craft Mutiny is sponsoring a few kit giveaways here, so don't miss it!
1 PM - Knitting with Woolarina, Jess, Kelly (Swap Booth) - learn some knitting basics!
2 PM - Gocco Printing with Tina Seamonster (Swap Booth) - See how a gocco works, from burning screens to printing postcards!
3 PM-5PM - Grab Bag Crafting with Sandra (Swap Booth) - see what you can make with a bag of random supplies! Results will be added to a fridge door that will be displayed at a DC museum!!

We'll have supplies for you to try out, or take away for a small donation (to go to booth and material fees!) Come on out and get your craft on!!

We'll also have crafty kits if you want to try something new! Felted soap, sewn pins, and pincushions! Along with the SWAP, of course! ;)

Crochet, anyone?

2008-06-23T06:12:00.002-05:00

Is there anyone out there that knows how to crochet, that could do a little "how-to" thing at Crafty Bastards? Free yarn (or coupons for other stuff) is involved! :) Let me know - woolarina@gmail.com

We've got knitting help already (though we could still use a little more booth help if anyone is interested!), but would love to have crochet too. Heh - maybe I will have time to learn to crochet as well?

It's 7 am and I am exhausted! I've been making kits kits kits for crafty bastard! Both for my own booth and for Craft Mutiny!

Felted Soap!

Catnip fishie!

I'm hoping to have some knitted stuff up my sleeve as well... I did get two of my favorite patterns printed, so will have them for sure! And loads of tiny little goodies!

Call for Volunteers!

2008-06-18T16:13:00.002-05:00

The Craft Mutiny is looking for volunteers to help man our Craft Supply Swap Booth at Crafty Bastards! We're also going to have a few little demonstrations/lessons on how to craft (knit, spin, crochet, print) that we could totally use help for!

Do you craft? Have extra craft supplies? Want to meet crafty people and reuse/recycle unwanted stuff? Want to teach someone that they can knit or crochet? Or just want to promote the idea of making stuff yourself? We could use a bunch of help with both running the booth and supporting demos!

Just let me know at craftmutiny@gmail.com if you can help, and what time (we have spots from about 9 am to 6 pm!) and anything you think you could do to help us!

We're also having a happy hour next week to collect donated craft supplies at Chloe in Adams Morgan (2473 18th St NW) at 6:30 PM... do join us!!

too bad, so sad.

2008-06-18T16:03:00.002-05:00

I was going to write about the super fun business trip (not) I took, or actually the amazing weekend I had visiting cousins and seeing family in michigan. But then I got back and wow, my camera ate my photos! And my garden is in shreds (again) due to those mofo animals chomping down everything in sight. And I just don't want to talk about that sadness and some raveler is moaning about how the poor animals can get all itchy from cayenne pepper and I just do not have sympathy with the bunny and groundhog. I won't talk about how I am learning to trap animals (humanely, no worries!), as wow, that sounds a little kountry! and no joke, there's a website on animals or gardening or something that involves that k in country!

Instead, how about how crazy overwhelmed I am?! ;) Crafty Bastards is June 28! And I am a moron. I am in charge of my booth, and ALSO planning much of the Craft Mutiny Supply Swap Booth with Tina. And helping to make a super cool zine. And kits for the booth! And holy crow, when am I going to finish this stuff?

And also, there are exactly eleventy billion really awesome events in the next ten days that I cannot avoid that will prevent me from getting anything done. Oy.

So far, all I have done for Crafty Bastsards is yarn (whew!) and two really fun patterns. I have so many plans, and things are falling into place (or at least, supplies are bought!)

Recycle and Rescue Craft Supplies at Crafty Bastards!

2008-06-11T06:14:00.002-05:00

The Craft Mutiny Arts and Crafts Collective is having a Supply Swap at Crafty Bastards Silver Spring on June 28th at Pyramid Atlantic. If you have left over arts and crafts supplies taking up space in your house, here is your chance to get rid of them! Never got the hang of a certain craft, but still have all the supplies? Trade them in for something else. Just want to get rid of all those beads? Donate them to the swap and maybe someone else can do something with them! You will be able to recycle or rescue all kinds of things from yarn to fabric to paint to beads. Please leave home house paint, toxic materials and old clothing. Other than that, if you think someone can make something from it, bring it! Don't have anything to swap? You can still pick up new-to-you-supplies crazy cheap even if you don't donate/trade. Also plan to get in on the fun with demonstrations of Gocco printing and yarn spinning, plus zines and how-tos.

If you would like to donate items before the swap, please email craftymutiny@gmail.com and we can set up a drop off. We are also looking for volunteers to help us man the booth during the fair, so please email us if you would like to help out. We are planning a swap happy hour for later this month where you can drop stuff off, too, so stay tuned!

We'll see you at booth number 56 at Crafty Bastards Silver Spring!

For more information about Crafty Bastards, check out http://www.craftybastards.com

Please email me at craftmutiny@gmail.com if you're interested in helping, want to trade or donate, or want to learn more!

critters

2008-05-27T19:18:00.002-05:00

so the animals must have seen my last blog post with the beautiful pristine plants... I went in this morning to find bunches of tomato plants munched, beans nibbled down to the stem, and even a few pepper leaves stolen.

sigh...

I went to the kmart across the street and got some deer and rabbit repellant.. hoping it works on them! and maybe on the groundhog too. I also went to an international mart and found the hottest red pepper I could, to sprinkle around. heh - the guy said I had to be careful, wash my hands!

I doused the plants in pepper and squirted some pretty stinky stuff around the garden.. we'll see how it goes!

poor tomatoes and beans. :(