Makings: In Threes Cardigan

Simplestead Baby will get much wear out of her In Threes Cardigan this Fall. I fell in love with this pattern when I saw it on the Soulemama blog and finally purchased it after seeing a sample knitted at a quaint little yarn shop in Delafield called Knitch.

Sweater Making Weather

The Fall chill is in the air and this gal is NOT complaining. I love this weather, in fact, I thrive in it. I've always been very sensitive to the heat and I get heat stroke at the drop of a hat. So I welcome Fall with open arms! Bring on the orchard visits, the art fairs, the garden harvest, and my favorite - Halloween! 

Fall is also the best sweater making weather. Knitters get funny looks when working up a project in the dead heat of Summer, in Fall it is natural to everyone to  see that warm, cozy wool on the needles. My current project is the Heathered Cardigan by Melissa Schaschwary. The yarn is from my previous sweater project, the Feathernest sweater from Interweave Knits. I liked the sweater, I just didn't like it on me. Three quarter length sleeves don't flatter me at all, and I'm one of those who likes to pull my sweater sleeves over my hands. I really dig the top down construction and I always appreciate a well written pattern. I am just crossing my fingers that I have enough yarn. I had one skein left over from the Feathernest, if I end up using all of that then I will have to purchase more superwash wool from Knit Picks and hope the dye lots match. Wish me luck.

I will be posting more knitting and spinning projects soon! Happy Fall!

Current Makings

Oh, how I love the Fall frenzy of making. The cold crisp air really gets me in the mood to make a bunch of cozy knitted items for the family and thanks to Ravelry, I have access to any pattern I could imagine.

I dabbled with felting to make Simplestead Baby a pair of warm snugly boots for winter.See Ravelry notes here. I am new to sock/shoe construction and to reading the patterns. After a few failed attempts and a few cuss words, I got the hang of it. The end result was not perfect but it didn't matter because the felting process concealed any mistakes in my knitting. The end result is perfect and will keep those little toes warm all Winter.

This infinity scarf knit from a handspun mohair wool blend yarn I scored from a local fiber farm is for ME. The sheen on this piece is amazing and the color is so complex. The fiber was a little itchy at first but after a little wear, the fibers relaxed a bit (or I tricked myself into dealing with the itch because I love this yarn sooo much). The scarf is long enough that I can wrap it around my neck three times for that super bulky cowl look.

I am also getting a little more confident in my knitting abilities. I just finished a project that required me to read a fairly complicated chart to create a beautiful cable pattern and I after an epic sweater fail (didn't do a test swatch to check my knitting gauge - rookie mistake), I am making a cozy pullover for the cold days ahead.

Wannabe Handmade

I am going to go on a rant.

I really hate seeing all this "looks like it's handmade" or "antique/vintage looking" stuff at big box stores. I feel like these corporations are ripping off designs from independent designers and artisans. There have been countless times I have been in Target (yup, that's right Target, I am calling you out) and have seen an item on their shelves that I saw on Etsy months ago. This would not be a problem if it actually came from the same artist selling it on Etsy, but no, it is a mass produced forgery. Urban Outfitters and Anthropologie are other culprits.

But I honestly cannot just blame the companies who carry Wannabe Handmades. There is clearly a market for these items. But if you are looking for handmade, then you should buy handmade. Check out Etsy or better yet, a local craft fair or festival. Support those who made these items cool in the first place and purchase a quality item, not some cookie cutter piece of crap. This also goes for antique looking items. Instead of some crappy reproduction, go to an antique store or a flea market. You will probably pay the same price or even less for the real thing.

Thank you for reading.

Angora Baby Hats

I can't wait to model these hats on our little one, so I just had to give you a preview. The purple ear flap hat is my first attempt at plying the Angora with wool and dying it. The plying allows me to get more out of the angora fiber and I like the strength and dimension it creates. The grey hat is all  undyed angora and is incredibly soft. I never thought I would get this kind of satisfaction from raising Angora rabbits. I love caring for them, harvesting their wool, spinning it and then knitting it into something special.

North House Folk School

Plans in the works to attend a few classes at the North House Folk School in Minnesota next year!


NORTH HOUSE FOLK SCHOOL trailer from dennysFilms on Vimeo.

Quality vs. Quantity During the Holiday Season

It's the holiday season, when you can usually score a good deal and most of us spend way more money than we should, but with all the lights and holiday cheer, it is hard to not be in the giving mood. But I can't help but be overwhelmed by all the "stuff". It doesn't really hit me until after the holidays, when I have all of my unwrapped gifts under the tree and I have to make room for it all. Don't get me wrong, I love getting and giving gifts and am grateful for everything I receive but I wonder how many of us purchase something just so we have a gift to give someone without thinking about the quality or where it came from. I know I have done this many previous holidays. 

So this year I wanted to focus more on quality vs. quantity (this is a concept that I really believe in and will definitely be covering more in future posts). I figured I would rather spend money on more meaningful gifts than spend either more or less on items that were either mass produced or did not have much quality or meaning to them. This also tied into the handmade gifts as well. Most of my gifts were handmade this year and even though I may have spent more on the materials than it would have been to just flat out buy the item I produced, I think most will treasure the handmade gift more than any store bought gift. So in this case, quality overruled.

It is also kind of funny how this rule applies to gifts I am getting this year. I will be the first to admit that I am very hard to buy for. I think it's because I am into very different things than the average person and because I am so particular in my interests, I tend to be very particular about my possessions and I think that really intimidates those who want to get me gifts. Like I said before I am happy with anything I receive but I think those who really know me what to support my interests. 

So this year I already know what most of my gifts are going to be, only because they were purchased at local fairs and I got to pick them out - with permission from the gift giver. I would see something and a member of my family would say "well, I could get you that and wrap it up for Christmas?" So I get an artisan made gift that I am going to absolutely love and the giver knows I am going to adore it? I think everyone wins. Plus the element of surprise when you are an adult is not as important as when you are a child. I know what I am getting, but I am still excited to receive it and am deeply touched that the giver cared that much to make sure I received something that was high quality, locally made and that I will treasure for years to come. 

So my point is to be mindful of gift giving this year. Take the time to really find a meaningful gift for each person you are giving to this year. It may not be the most expensive thing on their list but money doesn't mean a thing when it comes to gift giving. Take the time to find out what people's passions are and get them a gift that supports that passion, buy something locally made or made by an artisan, or flat out MAKE THEM SOMETHING! You will be pleasantly surprised how touched people get when you give them something you made - hence playing into that "it's the thought that counts" theory.

Let the holiday season begin!

From The Land Fesitval

On Sunday morning we headed up toward Green Lake, Wisconsin to check out the 10th Annual From The Land Festival. We loved the laid back feel and the small simple farm as the backdrop. We could smell the pasture of sheep as we browsed through the vendors. We managed to come home with some Wisconsin grown roving, new angora spinning knowledge, and a delicious grass-fed rump roast. We were definitely among friends - people who live or aspire to live as we want to, to embrace handmade, the hand crafted, the homegrown and the simple things. There is a complete satisfaction when buying something and you are actually meeting the maker or producer. You see the character and craftsmanship and we are always willing to pay more for something that is handmade or homegrown because you see the quality, you see the care and time that has gone into the item.

Think about this, especially with the holidays approaching. We will soon be swarmed by commercials and ads telling us what to buy (almost all of it is mass produced). Try buying locally from an art fair, on Etsy or even make some gifts yourself. We are making about 75% of our gifts this year and we are so looking forward to give the gift of handmade.

Have a great week everyone! Thanks again for taking time to read our blog. We appreciate our readership and support very much!

So that's what I did with that yarn

Remember that yarn I dyed a few days ago? Its now been knitted up into hand warmers for the season! Check out the Ravelry project here.

Yarn Dyein'

I bought two skeins of locally produced wool yarn at the State Fair this summer and I am finally getting around to working with it. I dyed it a rich golden yellow using tumeric (from the spice cabinet). I love how it turned out and can't wait to knit myself up something.

Autumn Knitting

Fall leaves and yarn were made for each other. Why am I knitting baby stuff? For those of you who don't already know, the Simplestead Team is expecting a little addition to the family on March 8, 2013. Lucky for me, I am a knitter and can spend the entire Fall and Winter making things for my little one. I found this adorable pattern called the Pebble Vest on Ravely (look me up here). The buttons where from the flea market I just went to and are smoky pearl. Ah, knitting is bliss, especially with results like this. What are you knitting or if you could learn to knit, what would you make?

Making Our Own Deodorant Bars

I don't think we will ever have to buy deodorant again! Not to say we are never using deodorant again (that would be gross). Thanks to Wellness Mama, we are now making our own deodorant and saving our health and money doing so.

Today, most deodorants contain aluminum, which helps control odor and wetness but also contributes to a number of health issues such as Alzheimer's Disease. We tried a few non-aluminum brands and some worked but not as well as our traditional deodorants. So with some research, I found an amazing recipe that I can make at home on the cheap and it really works. I actually think I sweat less now that I use this stuff so I am claiming it works even better than the deodorants that contain aluminum. Who knew arrowroot powder and baking soda were the answers to our sweaty problems?

Don't dis it till ya try it, son! The best part is I can let the "bars" set in the cupcake tin and store them in the pantry until I need more. Then I can use the bar as is or pack it into my empty deodorant tube. Packing it into an empty tube allows for better application. It works, it's cheap and it is better for our health. Man, I love making things I can use!

The Grow List

As we continue to make everyday changes, I have comprised a list of things I would like to implement by the end of next month. I feel these pursuits will challenge us to rely less on commercially produced items and save us money while instilling our values of living a slow life.

Start a kitchen container garden so that lettuce, tomatoes and herbs are within arms reach. One less item I have to buy at the grocery store.

Pre-plan more dinners using fresh ingredients. Natural Health at Home has a Gluten Free Meal Plan that I would love to try.

Buy locally made soap.

Use the dryer 50% less. I figure now that the weather is getting warmer, I can dry clothes out on the rack outside, or I can get my husband to rig me up a clothesline.

Make my own dish soap and handsoap and store in mason jars with these nifty mason jar pump lids.

Make my own face oil.

Find a local source for grass-fed beef and pork.

Make bread, save money

I made really good bread today, the kind that flakes and browns at the top and all you want to do is cut into it and eat the whole loaf. There is just something so rewarding about baking your own bread, plus it is really easy and cheap to make. I used this no-knead recipe and it worked out oh so nicely.

I was inspired to bake bread today because I am so tired of spending money eating out. Whenever I look at my bank statement, I am always shocked how much money we spend on going out to eat. I know I'm supposed to be one of those people who makes home cooked dinners with fresh ingredients every day of the week, but I am ashamed to say that is not the case. No, we are not eating McDonald's and to my defense we do opt for healthier dining choices, but it's not the satisfactory home cooked meal.

And let's just face it, eating out is expensive! Ten bucks here, fourteen bucks there, it all adds up. I hate to see how much we spend eating abroad and then think about how much we could have saved during the week and how much better quality food we could have been consuming if I would have just cooked some damn meals! Not to say we are never going to eat out again. Jake and I enjoy our lunches at our local coffee joint way to much to give it all up and we like to dine with friends time to time. But I need to say no to myself when I'm tired and I don't want to cook anything and all I want is the convenience of prepared food. I need to arm myself with easy to prepare meals during those times. And it really is all about preparation.

So my two loaves of freshly baked bread should get me through. I can serve it with a nice bowl of soup (hello easy, satisfying meal!!!) and make sandwiches for lunch or dinner (it's really good with chicken salad), or just eat it plain. I also cannot wait to join a CSA. Then we will have to cook so that we do not waste any of the amazing meat and veggies we will be getting.

So now one loaf is in the fridge (I think it keeps longer that way) and the other in the freezer. If one loaf can last me a week, then I will only have to bake bread every two weeks, I think I can handle that.

From the garden to the jar

Thanks to my husband's hard work this year in our first garden, I picked a plentiful harvest of tomatoes and green peppers. I'm so proud, he really put his heart and soul into making this garden work. Overall I say it was a success, I'm sure he will later elaborate on the trials and tribulations of the first garden.

I have been dreaming of making some canned pasta sauce to better preserve our bounty so I had been gathering supplies (large canner from a thrift store, Ball canning utensil set, jars from the grocery store). I have to admit, I was very nervous about my first ever canning session. I had watched my in-laws can pickles a few weeks ago and I was quite intimidated by that. However, I knew that the only way I was going to learn was to just go ahead and do it. And if I failed, at least I would learn from my mistakes and try again.

I found a simple recipe here. I kind of made it my own since I like a lot of flavor, plus I am part Sicilian so if it calls for garlic, I at least double the amount. I actually used garlic powder since what I thought was garlic from the garden were actually premature white onions (I failed to consult my husband on which row was what), live and learn I guess. The sauce tasted pretty good when it was done, and when it came to canning it, it luckily went pretty smoothly. I found that the canning utensils I had purchased came in handy - like the magnet on a stick that fishes out the lids from the boiling water. My mother-in-law had told me to make sure that the lips of the glass jars were spotless before I put the lids on, otherwise they would not seal in the canner. I was very anal about this step but it paid off because all five jars of sauce sealed.

Yes, I said all five jars. It takes a lot of tomatoes to make sauce.


But it is five less jars I will have to buy at the store, plus it is made from fresh, hand-picked tomatoes that we grew ourselves and that in itself is well worth it. I feel I will taste our whole experience when we eat this sauce come winter. I just hope it does not spoil, I know all the lids sealed but sometimes even sealed stuff can go bad. I guess only time will tell.

If anyone is interested in canning, my first suggestion is to find someone you know who does it so you can see it in real life and get those great tips that you may not find in books or online. If you do not know anyone who cans, books and websites may be your only resources and that is okay, we all have to start somewhere. The initial set up cost seems pricey but in long term you save, plus you'll have good food all year long! Also check out thrift stores and rummage sales for used canning supplies. These items have changed very little over the years and you can score some good deals on used goods.

Stay tuned for future canning adventures!