Eagles are in town - not the band

I had breakfast with a friend today who showed me these pictures on her phone. She was complaining because this "American Eagle" was in her neighborhood......"WHAT?" "A bald eagle in town?" I say....."yes and I don't want it to eat my dog." "A bald eagle?" ......"in town?"......
"Here", she says, "I'll show you a picture."


OH MY GAWSH! A bald eagle in town!!! She lives about seven minutes driving time from my house, that'd be 50 seconds eagle time.

I tried explaining to her about the circle of life in nature, and why that eagle might be there, in her neighborhood.

You see, I'm a nature girl at heart. I mean, something like this makes my heart pound harder than beautiful-hand-made-high dollar on clearance sale, yarn. So I explained, you have four things birds need to survive and thrive...

1) shelter

2) water

3) food

4) a place to raise young.

Her eyes glazed over and she said, I just don't want it to get my dog. Apparently they also found a little pile of dog collars. So, watch your dogs. Eagles are coming to town.

Cindy Bee

Yarn Lesson

See this yarn? I bought it last weekend at the yarn store.

I thought it would be pretty to make a scarf out of it. $15.00 for one skein. It comes from Italy, It's a wool/acrylic blend and it is veeeerry soft.

This is a nice cotton yarn, 100% cotton, so it will shrink if you wash it in hot water and dry it in the dryer. $7.50 a skein. It's what I make my fun crafty stuff with. I like having a bunch of the same type of yarn in different colors to piddle around with. And I have been adding to my collection a little at a time, because dye lot is not important in this situation. I've bought the cheaper cotton yarns but they are harder to knit/crochet with, and they lose their color right after the first washing.

This skein, $20.00. I'm not kidding. It was on sale however for 40% off. It's 100% cotton, also from Italy. It's sooo soft and yummy, I had to have a skein. It feels maaahvelous against my skin.

Now, these yarns cannot be bought at our local fabric or craft store. For me to buy a skein of these types of yarns I have to drive an hour, or order them online. If you are a quilter, you know about material that comes from a local craft store, compared to material that comes from a quilting store. They are a higher quality. Somewhat like when you buy a sweater from one of the "Mart" stores, compared to, ooooh say Marshall Fields or Sax Fifth Avenue. Now, take that information, couple it with the fact that most handmade items take hours to make by an individual, rather than something from a factory. That's the kind of stuff you will see this weekend at the Winter Woolen Workshop. It won't be perfect, it will be handmade, and it probably won't be cheap. You also won't find 45 of the exact same thing lined up in a row on a shelf. Most likely, there will only be one.

So,
I made this from the fun cotton yarn.

Here's the back. Not so neat, but hey, it's obvious it wasn't made at a factory right? I put a pocket on it for a cell phone. It has one of those plastic thingys in it.

So you can take it to the beach or pool and your stuff inside, like a camera or money, won't get wet.

Or you can put a bottle of water in it.

Or some skeins of yarn and a hook

Or one of those religious candle holders I bought at the antique store the other day. (that's just silly though)

Ok now this wasn't a rant, it was really just a lesson for those who are not crafters. This weekend at the Winter Woolen Workshop you will be able to see all kinds of hand made items for sale, all kinds of stuff for sale to make handmades, such as fiber, wool, yarn, material, etc. And most likely, the person that made the item will be standing right there, willing to share their talents with you. The whole purpose of this venue is to bring back lost arts from days gone by. When you come, you will want to try everything, and you won't want to leave! Be prepared.

Now, on another note...
Jodie with an ie - GURL YOU ARE NOT TAKING MY GRANNY STRIPE BLANKEY. HUUU UHHH. And,..ummm....I made it with cheap cotton yarn! BUT get up here, to Kokomo, this weekend and make one. Bring your yarn and crochet hooks and sit with us fun crafty people. We'll all be at the Winter Woolen workshop (information to the right) Do it!

Cindy Bee

Fat Tuesday food

I ate crap food all day long and used "Fat Tuesday" as an excuse.

Starting tomorrow, I'm giving up latte's and donuts. Maybe chips too. RJ and I stopped at Starbucks on the way home from our antique and yarn shopping, and had a donut and a latte'. I did it again today. It's GOT TO STOP. So, I'm givin' it up for lent.

You all giving anything up?

Cindy Bee