Fiber Daze at Neosho, MO

What a weekend!  Two days of fiber fun with new and old friends.  There was lots of fur flying at the Crowder Agriculture Building in Neosho!  60+ knitters, spinners, weavers all in one place. 

Of course the vendors were wonderful.  I won't hold it against them that they way over tempted me (or show pictures of what I bought!).  We limit to Missouri fiber vendors and it always amazes me at what variety, quantity and quality we have right here.

I finally got up the nerve to join a class on knitting socks on 2 circular needles.  Now, I am a devoted DPN fan but our instructor Adrienne Rieck was great at explaining this and ....well I may consider it now.  She invited me to join the Ravelry group Year of Sock Stash.  Check out her blog:  http://www.knitandrun97.blogspot.com/.  By the end of the class I think we all had it figureed out!

The folks at Sarah Kate Fibers (http://www.sarahkatefibers.etsy.com/)
encouraged me to try Gottland wool...
ummm, so soft!

Another new to me vendor was Morning Moon Alpacas from Monett, MO.  I fell for her carmel colored batt of blended alpaca, merino and silk.  She had an alpaca cria born Friday and we got to see pictures!

Stay tuned for info on next year's Fiber Daze events.  Held the 4th weekend of September 2012.

Mozzarella Success!

One of the most magical things in the world is watching the transformation of "plain" old milk into cheese!  It amazes me that with a few very similar ingredients you can make so many very different types of cheeses.  I know just enough to make a real mess in my kitchen, but I keep trying.  The last few batches of mozzarella had been, well, okay, but not the fantastic creation I knew it could be.

So, today I made my next attempt.  The crazy thing about cheese making is the wait to see if it turns out the way you want it to.  Fortunately with mozzarella the wait is short.  The curds looked good, the whey clear and then the magic of stretching it (like taffy if you can imagine).  And this time...

Success!  You have not tasted mozzarella until you have it fresh and warm.  The garden is finally producing an abundance of tomatoes which means fresh, homemade sauce---I can taste the pizza already! 

Want to try it for yourself?  New England Cheesemaking Supply Company  has a lot of information for beginners including Ricki Carroll's book Home Cheese Making with all the recipes.

One warning ... like all the other hobbies I have, this one is addictive too!

Welcome

Welcome!  Thanks for stopping by. 

My name is Danelle and my life is hopelessly tangled in skeins, balls, hanks and bobbins of yarn!  I will try about any craft involving some form of fiber.  So far I have dabbled in spinning, crochet, knitting, tatting, weaving, quilting and sewing.  Having widely varied, yet loosely connected, interests can lead to some very interesting combinations.  My workbasket is never bland!  I also enjoy sharing these skills with others.  This Fall I will be attending several workshops and conferences-as both student and teacher.  I hope to give you a feel for these events as they happen.

Over the past several years I have found my hobbies becoming more and more tangled up with my faith is Jesus Christ.  As a Christian I believe that we can serve God with any talent He gives us.  I have been amazed at how He has used me and yarn!!  I look forward to sharing some of these discoveries with you.

Like many of you, I am a serious dabbler - meaning I still work a full time job to support myself and my addiction.  Also like many of you that I visit with, I have dreams of someday supporting myself with these skills and interests.  Dreaming doesn’t hurt right??  I have run out of people to give my creations to, so I have recently started a shop on Etsy, ThreeStrandsFibrewrk.etsy.com.  It is in the beginning stages as well, more on that later…

Well hopefully this gives you a feel for who I am and where I am going with this blog and that you are still willing to visit again.  I am learning as I go, so please feel to drop me comments.   I am eager to visit with you…