New Zealand and Wool

I got to go to the New Zealand embassy last night!  Mmmmm, they had lamb chops, skewered beef, and beet root mousse canapes, it was just so tasty.  It's a really beautiful building near to the Vice President's residence up Massachusetts Avenue on Observatory Circle.  Thank goodness the rain had let up and the temperature was mild because we ended up doing a lot of walking to get there and get home.

I met a gentleman from the Lamb and Beef Board, and, of course, I had to ask him about what happens to the wool of the lambs before they become dinner!  (You know, I have to say at this point that I try hard to eat as little meat as possible, I really don't like thinking about how an animal had to die to feed me, but suffice to say, no one was thinking about that last night!).  Turns out such lamb have courser wool, so it tends to go into carpet manufacturing.  In fact, the new rug in the Oval Office that was made in Michigan with a special design has a lot of New Zealand wool in it!

Ok, speaking of course wool, I'm running into a problem with one of the yarns that I am making a sample with.  I decided to make the rippled beret with Classic Elite Portland Tweed because it's the right yarn weight, and I thought that the tweeding would look good with the ripple technique, and it does look good (it's a great yarn to work with), but it's stiff!  Now, I'm debating whether to just unravel the whole thing and come up with a new project for that yarn (maybe a purse?) or wash it and see what happens (will it soften?) -- anybody got any suggestions for me?!

Go Coconuts!

I promise I will explain in the next paragraph what this has to do with either crochet or marketing!  But, in the mean time, if you are looking for a tasty and different breakfast bread, then try this fabulous recipe on the Whole Foods website for coconut bread rolls:  http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/recipes/2253  I was able to find only sweetened shredded coconut in the grocery store (didn't actually make it to a Whole Foods), so I used that and didn't add any sugar (just a little drizzle of agave syrup).  The rolls really came out great, I'm looking forward to making them again, but it is about a 3 hour process from start to finish.

And, there's where the crochet comes in :-)  I was able to get the top half of my Rippled Beret done (I'm making a sample version to display at Looped Yarn Works!) during the waiting times in between the different steps for the bread (first, you let the yeast mixture sit for 15 minutes, then the bread dough sits for 1 1/2 hour, then you make the rolls and let them sit for another 45 minutes, then bake for 20 to 25 minutes).  I love how I was able to multitask and have such a delicious (and still relatively healthy) breakfast after my hard work!

First Yarn Club Shipment!

The first shipment for the Crocheters' Yarn Club is ready to go!  I love this month's yarn -- it's Shi Bui's Baby Alpaca DK yarn made of 100 percent baby alpaca.  The company is based in Portland, Oregon, and I liked the fact that "shi bui" in Japanese means "elegant with a touch of bitterness".  It works up into such a soft fabric with a nice light spring to it.  The color tones and variations in the Spruce are subtle, ranging from a dark blue to a slightly lighter dark blue.  The pattern I fashioned to take advantage of these qualities is a Rippled Beret with an accent flower (available separately in my Ravelry and Lulu shops for those not in the club). 

The other goodies in the shipment include a Bamboo crochet hook, some Japanese Cherry loose tea (sticking with the Japanese theme :-) and a MCG nylon project bag.

Ok, so stay tuned for what surprises will be in store for the April shipment!

Today's Thought:  Food Rule # 14 -- Eat foods made from ingredients that you can picture in their raw state or growing in nature.  So, implementing this rule hasn't been too hard, it really just means eating as many raw fruits and vegetables as possible.  Last night, we made beet greens sauted with olive oil, garlic, ginger, and a little bit of harissa sauce. Mmm, mmm!