Freedom House or "Lobster Surprise"

Episode 32

1. Production Scheduling

   1. Events

   2. Shipping

   3. Production

   4. What's in my tea pot

   5. Materials Sourcing

   6. After 5

2. Events

   1. Pittsburgh Knit and Crochet Festival http://www.pbbbbghknitandcrochet.com/ February 10, 11, 12 of 2011.

   2. Camp KIP Session #1 will run April 21-24, 2012 The 2nd Annual Camp Kip retreat will be hosted at Cedar Creek Conference Center in New Haven, MO

3. Shipping

   1. Mohawk Hat by Darlene Dale provided free on www.caron.com I did this in Nate's school colors. Not sure if this was as big of a hit as the beard hat was only time will tell... He says he likes it, but he is a teenager.

   2. The Incredible Custom fit Raglan Sweater by Pamela Costello www.woolworks.org/patterns/raglan.html I'm using this pattern B's horse sweater. I finished a sample of the Loopy the Appaloosa Cloth by Rhonda K white.

      1. This one came down to the wire. I did both sleeves in one night.

      2. Ended up finishing the neck with a simple backward crochet edge.

      3. B wears it but the first time he tried it on he yelled “get it off! Get it off!”

   3. Beaded Ornament from 12 Exquisite Beaded Ornaments to Knit published by Leisure arts. In all I finished 6 Ornaments all but one given away as gifts I still have the one made with my first skein of hand spun. I have what I think is Just enough Mohair to make one last ornament for myself.

   4. The Uber Secret Christmas project was of course the pair of socks my mom asked me to knit for her. I used my go to Light Weight sock pattern by Pattons. The leg and heels fir well, foot width is good the toe is about and inch too long. So these will bounce back from shipping into production for next week.

4. Production

   1. Top Down Raglan Baby Sweater by Carole Barenys time to pick up this sweet baby sweater and get some sleeves on it.

   2. Cable Braided Necklace by Olga Buraya-Kefelian this is what I'm using the bulk of my remaining beaded mohair for. The strips are knitted. They need to be blocked before I start the “braiding” process.

   3. To be cast on...

      1. Mittens in Hand spun

      2. The Shape shifter Shrug from Vampire Knits

         1. That's it I have enough of this hand spun. I'll be checking my yardage carefully s and so as not to have another Ruffled and Ruched scarf on my hands.

      3. Holden Shawlette by Mindy Wilkes. I have a Skein of wolmeisse I'm thinking of using for this. But another shawl?

      4. Or Koolhaas by Jared Flood.

      5. I'm Free! No Pressure I can knot what I want!

5. What's in my Tea Pot

   1. Paromi Tea Lemon Ginger

      1. Oolong Tea (Fair Trade & Organic)
         or
         Our oolong is produced in Ambootia, a tea estate in the Darjeeling district.  Nestled in the Himalayas at an altitude of 4000 feet, the gardens of the estate enjoy a unique combination of climate and elevation that contribute to the gentle, flowery aroma of this distinctive oolong.  The addition of zesty Egyptian lemongrass, coupled with the warmth of ginger from Sri Lanka, makes our lively brew one that can be enjoyed throughout the day.
         
         Ingredients: organic oolong tea, organic lemon grass, organic lemon peel, organic ginger, natural flavor.
         
         

         1. Paromi packaged their tea in amber or painted glass. Cracking open the jar in itself was a treat. The ginger lemon Scent is fantastic. I over steeped this a bit so the ginger was string enough to make my lips tingle. This is a well balanced tea the lemon is more of a floral note and is not acidic like the Tazo Berry tea was. This is another good one and I'll be on the look out for more blends from Paromi in the future.

6. Material's Sourcing

   1. Nantucket from Copper pot Woolies. http://www.etsy.com/shop/copperpot is done and plied. I decided it liked the Navajo plied version of this yarn best. I'm hoping to have enough to make the Shape shifter but it's looking doubtful so I'll be calculating up ,y yardage and whop knows maybe another Ruffled And Ruched scarf or another cowl will be in the works. I really love these colors I wish I could have gotten another ball.

   2. Hidden Valley Farm and Woolen Mill (http://www.hiddenvalleyfarmwoolenmill.com) 8 oz of Mary's Lake effect is on the wheel now, I have one bobbin done and the start of the second this fiber is flying! And I love love love these sunset colors!

   3. I got a HUGE bag of fiber from my mom for Christmas in the bag is some more Mohair YAY! And some goodies from Ewenique Fibers in Alliance, Ohio. I also bit the bullet and bought another bat From Copperpot Woolies called toasted coconut which has Cashmere, Bamboo, polwarth, Merino and copper stellina. I may break into that next or I may save it for when I “Suck Less”

7. After 5

   1. Algonquin Spinners a d Weavers Christmas Party

   2. Inventory Bleck!

   3. Freedom House: Project Christmas.

   4. Lobster Suprise.

   5. Christmas Run Down.

   6. Christmas Memory Contest still open until 12/31!

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