A Cold Heart by Jonathan Kellerman

Ok I usually don't read books written by men, because they don't think like I do. They don't write like I think. I was in the mood the other day for a good whodunit. So I was browsing through all of the True Crime stories, one of my favorite kind of reads. I didn't find anything that impressed me. But I still was in the mood for a Good whodonit, so I kept looking around. I stumbled onto a book called A Cold Heart by Jonathan Kellerman, and decided to give it a go. Boy am I glad that I did. This book grabbed my attention and Would NOT let go!!! Yes this book was for sure a page turner!!! This book had a surprising villain, and an amazing Hero!!! So if you are ever in the mood for a Great whodunit. I would say give this book a good look!!

Hand Spun Yarn

I am finally getting it, I think. I am so very happy with the way this yarn turned out. Not 1 problem with my wheel while spinning this yarn. Everything flowed smooth as silk. I think that I am developing a good relationship with my wheel. This is the roving that I dyed with RIT dye the colors scarlet, and golden yellow. The colors reminded me of flames. I got 236 yards of DK weight yarn. That is 14 WPI.

Hand Dyed Roving

I hand dyed this roving using Rit dye in the colors Mauve, Sunshine Orange, and Royal Blue. I see Beautiful shades of Mauve, from light to dark.The orange color ranges from dark orange to light yellow. The Royal Blue runs from deep dark blue to a light blue, then turns green. I am more then happy with the way this roving turned out. I was afraid that it might turn to a muddy color. But it did not, it turned out perfect. I am having so much fun, and learning so much about color dying these rovings. I am pretty excited about getting this on my wheel!!!

Casey

My Beautiful Granddaughter Casey Rae

Astrid Folk Mittens

I have designed another Folk Mitten. I call this one Astrid. Astrid is a Scandinavian name that means fair, Beautiful Goddess. This pattern is knit from the cuff upwards. If you are familiar with color work stranded knitting, this pattern will be easy for you. If you are new to color work this pattern will be a nice challenge for you. This mitten is not lined, but with two color knitting, and worsted weight wool, this is a very warm mitten, with an extra long cuff. This mitten measures 8 inches around and is 11 1/4 inches long. This pattern can be found at
http://www.freewebs.com/folkmittens/

Hand Dyed Roving

I hand dyed this roving with liquid Scarlet colored RIT dye, and powdered Golden Yellow RIT dye. When I look at this roving I see flames!! The colors are reds, yellows, and oranges. I will probably get this on my wheel this weekend!!

Pink and Purple Handspun Yarn

This is the yarn that I spun from my purple and pink roving. I cabled this yarn. It is 10 WPI, and 106 yards. I had a problem while I was plying this yarn. My drive band broke on my wheel. I made another one, then I had a tuff time getting my tension adjusted right. But all in all I am happy with this yarn, and will use it in one of my mitten designs. :)

Candy Bar Fudge

This has got to be the Easiest, Creamiest, Quickest Fudge that I have ever made, and I for sure will make it again. This is my from now on Favorite Fudge recipe!!!

Candy Bar Fudge

1 ( 12 ounce ) package semisweet chocolate chips2 ( 3.7 ounce ) Snickers candy bars, chopped1 can Pillsbury Creamy Supreme Milk Chocolate Frosting

Line an 8-inch square pan with foil, extending foil over edges. Spray lightly with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.

Melt chips in medium saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. OR, microwave chips in medium size microwave-safe bowl on HIGH for 1 to 2 minutes, or until chips are melted, stirring occasionally.

Reserve 2 tablespoons of the chopped candy bars. Add frosting and remaining candy bars. Blend well.

Spread in sprayed foil-lined pan. Sprinkle with reserved 2 tablespoons of the chopped candy bars. Refrigerate for 1 hour, or until firm.

Remove fudge from pan by lifting foil. Remove foil from fudge. Cut into squares. Makes 36 squares

Slippers

I wear slippers everyday in the winter in South Dakota. It is pretty cold here, from December until into March. So I need a few pair of slippers every year. I like quick, and easy slipper patterns. But the slippers have to be warm also. I have found a new favorite slipper pattern for me. I used the Bernat Basic Slippers for the Family pattern. The pattern calls for Chunky yarn, but I did not have any chunky yarn. So I used Worsted weight yarn, and the pattern worked up just fine. For my slippers I used Wool-Ease the color Spring Green, for my Granddaughters slippers, I used her favorite color yarn Pink Camo from Red Heart. Now we will both have warm, and cozy toes this winter :)

Hand Dyed Pink and Purple Roving

I hand dyed this roving yesterday. I used purple Rit dye, and Hot fuchsia Jacquard acid dye. I think that the purple Rit dye took over a lot this time. The color in this roving goes from dark purple, to light purple. And from dark pink to light pink. I will have this on my wheel later today. I am looking forward to seeing it spun up!!!

Hand Spun Purple Yarn

I spun worsted weight yarn again. I am so very happy!!! This yarn is 10 WPI, so it is worsted weight, and Their are 98 yards of it. I will be dying more roving today. Spinning is sooo very much Fun!

Starfish Dishcloth

Can you tell that I like this dishcloth??? It is sooo very easy, and I think so very cute. It is fun to see it knit up in different colors. I used size 7 needles and Peaches & Creme cotton in the colors Sea Mist, and Gumdrops. then I tried a self striping cotton. Sugar n Cream Holiday Stripes. I love the way these cloths turned out. The pattern can be found at Sew Funky http://sew-funky.blogspot.com/2008/06/starfish-cloth.html

My Purple Roving

Hip, Hip, Hurray!!!! I will be spinning wool today!!! I dyed this roving purple yesterday, using RIT dye. This is my first time using RIT dye, and I like it!!!

Hand Spun Yarn

I am so very excited today. I spun this yarn yesterday. It is 2 ply worsted weight yarn!! I was always spinning my yarn to thin. When I wanted my yarn to be worsted weight. I had to cable ply the yarn. This yarn is 2 ply, 10 WPI, and 116 yards! I am a happy girl!! I did not think that I would ever figure out how to spin worsted weight yarn with only 2 singles. I know I need more practice. But I am soooo happy with the way that this yarn turned out. I hand dyed Merino roving with Turquoise dye, which gave me this color!! :)

yarns to DYE for by Kathleen Taylor

I received my copy of Yarn to DYE for by Kathleen Taylor http://kathleen-dakotadreams.blogspot.com/ yesterday in the mail. Their are 3 sections in this book. Kathleen tells you what materials you will need to dye Self-Patterning yarns, and shows you exactly how to do it. There are 22 projects in this book from, hats, and mittens to socks, and a vest. She tells how to heat set your yarn in the Microwave, or in a steamer. I especially was interested in this part of the book, because I also like to heat set my dyed yarns and roving in the microwave. I have a separate microwave that I use just for heat setting yarns, and roving. I was also happy to learn that you can use Rit dye to dye yarns. I have never tried Rit dye before. You can be sure the next time I go to a department store I will be checking out the Rit Dye section!!! The book is illustrated nicely, and has beautiful color pictures. I am sure that I will use this book often when I am dying my yarns.

Zig To The Zag Socks

I finished another pair of socks! I Love this pattern. It is easy without being boring. The pattern for this sock can be found at http://mandiknits.com/patterns/ I used DPN for this pattern.
I used Knit Picks Essential yarn, in the color Meadow Multi. I like the way that this yarn stripes. It reminds me of an animal stripe.

Hand Dyed Roving

I dyed this roving yesterday. I used Jacquard dye the color Turqoise. I mixed it to be a very dark turqoise. I will have this on the wheel this afternoon!!