at the beginning of the year i decided that i would dedicate myself to learning some new skills in 2010. making yogurt was a start. it was much easier that i had expected. i don't have a yogurt maker so i simply heated the milk on the stove top with a makeshift double boiler. then i kept the cultured milk warm on top of a heating pad and covered it with a dish towel. i chilled the yogurt in quart canning jars. it is wonderful! i have been experimenting with new recipes using my newest favorite ingredient making carrot ginger soup, spinach yogurt dip, and simply sweetening it with homemade raspberry jam. i am currently reading the stonyfield farm yogurt cookbook. yes, i know, i do tend to take things to the extreme. :o)now, you may be wondering why i am including my wool and spinning pictures in the same p0st as my yogurt. i realize that my yogurt and spinning really have nothing in common, except, maybe the fact that both of them have kept me away from everydaygifts this month...
this is some dark brown roving that came from our shearer. i don't know the breed of the sheep, but based on the color and softness of the wool i would say it was shetland. i have spun a few skeins of it and i am looking forward to knitting with it.
here it is on the wheel
meet hosanna.i mentioned her when i posted about my mitten project, but could not find a picture of her. well, here she is, my very sweet shetland ewe. her wool is a lovely grey.
hosanna's roving and yarn on the bobbin
a hand spun skein
success! i completed a matching pair and learned so much in the process. the first one i thought looked pretty good. the second however did not match the first. the third, i thought, would match one of them to become a pair. but i discovered an error in my knitting while making the third and with the correction, it really turned out to be the best one yet. so i had to knit a fourth, finally making a pair! now i am ready to take on SOCKS!are you keeping your mind and hands active with learning and productive projects? i think i would go crazy with all of my required activities (you know, the cleaning, lunch packing, laundry, cleaning, taxi driving, did i mention cleaning?) if i did not have these enjoyable diversions!
everyday gifts: warm woolen mittens and yogurt!
