My favorite class at Hogwarts

Which Class at Hogwarts Would You Excel at?

You excel at Quidditch. You're either a jock or just love the game, but then again who wouldn't. You're a natural on the broom and there may be prospects of you making it to the big leagues.
Take this quiz!








Quizilla |
Join

| Make A Quiz | More Quizzes | Grab Code

No, it hasn't taken me this long to recover from St. Patrick's Day :-)

We went to Pj Mc Intyre, a local Irish pub. It is my new favorite place. The burgers are fantastic! And the lobster bisque is incredible. In short, all the food is good. If you come to the west side of Cleveland, go to PJ's.

Ok, on to beer: an old favorite, Foster's (in a pint can)

Very smooth, no bitter bite, consistent from can to can. No, I've only had one...today...dsfkl;jadkj

um, that was the cat. (ES, you don't have a cat.) Er, well, yes! On with the review.

This beer stands well alone as well as matching with a great many foods, pizza and wings being my usual choice.

OTN and FOs:

I did in fact take the lace off the needles and block it; it turned out quite nicely as a dresser scarf instead of a shawl. I only need to cast off and it will be done.

My nephew's shawl: I've finished the second skein and will be heading into the third, so it will be three skeins long or as long as it gets by the time he's christened next month.

I found the Noah's Ark instructions!

My husband's socks have been started, with my hand dyed sock yarn. I set two clothes trees 13' 6" apart and wound some Knit Picks Bare superwash fingering weight yarn around them, tying it off in sections approximately 150", 50", 75", and 50", the two larger sections each a different color and the 50" sections left white. This produces a large stripe of A, a small stripe of white, a medium stripe of B, and a small stripe of white. This was calculated for a woman's medium-large foot, but with my husband's size 14 feet I was happy to find that the stripe pattern does not break down. For the dye I used both KnitPick's powder acid dyes and Koolaid. One tip for the KP dye: a little goes a long way, and rinse thoroughly.

Oh, and I did in fact figure out the collar of my dress and finished it in time for Easter. I even found a matching hat! I almost had matching boots as well, but my size was sold out.

Until next time,

ES

Samuel Adams Brown Ale

For as much as I like Sam Adams, I have to say I'm a bit disappointed. Not that this is bad by any means, just....average. However, it is better in my opinion than the Honey Ale, which is bitter far beyond the expectations of something made with honey. I suppose I had been expecting something more along the line of mead. Which by the way I will happily review if anyone would like to send me some. ;-) Hmmm...as I continue to drink it, I think it's growing on me. Not a favorite, but ok.

OTN:

I've been sewing, and finished a cloth baby's book for a christening present, as well as two pairs of shorts and a top for my daughter. I've also cut out and gotten a great deal done on a dress for myself (hopefully for Easter) but have gotten a bit stuck on the collar and have taken a break.

Knitting-wise I have ended and am preparing to block the ex-shawl which is now as predicted will be a dresser scarf. I think I may use the rest of the laceweight to make a pi shawl eventually. I'm also making quite a bit of progress on the prayer shawl and am almost done with the second of three skeins. On that note, at Pat Catans today I saw assorted packages of Homespun mill ends, three skeins (enough for a shawl) for only $5.

I'm also using up some worsted weight odds and ends to make a log cabin blanket and have recently done a bit more work on it. I think this will be a long term project.

I've had to pause on the Noah's Ark I was working on, as I've lost the instructions :-(

I think I will be starting a pair of socks for my husband soon. However, none of the sock patterns I have go large enough for his feet, so I will need to do some calculations. My second concern is, will the 100 g I have be enough? I may need to use a provisional cast on , work the feet, then divide the remainder in half and make the legs as long as possible. He has also requested a sweater, but again, the one book I need, EZ's Knitting Without Tears is missing. ARRRGH. However, I think I may have lent it to a friend and I was looking for an excuse to call her anyway. But, even if I had it I would not I think finish the sweater before warm weather, so no particular hurry.

Another short review: Makers Mark Whiskey
Smoooooooth. No "bite" at all. If it doesn't sound too odd, a "waxy" or "crayon-y" aftertaste. My husband says this is the oak and tannins. I still think I like Tullamore Dew a little better, but Makers Mark is also a winner.

I should have a few more reviews after tomorrow...it being St. Patrick's Day and all. ;-)

Erin Go Bragh!

I had written another post but it disappeared :-( So here is another one.

First, the Quidditch answers:

1) C. Professor Grubbly-Plank

2) C. Dumbledore's Giant Mistake

3) B. Viktor Krum

4) A. Sonorus

5) B. Swedish Short Snout

6) A. Troy and Moran

7) C. 10

8) C. Bomb

9) B. Fountain of wine

10) A. Yes

Next:

I have finished a scarf for the trade box at the camp out I'm going to. I used Red Heart in the Camouflage colorway and an H crochet hook. Chain about 22 and then do stretches of double and triple crochet until the skein is used up. This makes a good average sized adult's scarf. After machine washing and drying with a dryer sheet it is surprisingly soft.

I've also just finished the bag for my Potter Pal....can't wait until it's time to mail the package.

Now, I'm off to go watch the Stargate movie.

Circus Boy

is the name of today's beer, a domestic hefeweizen from Magic Hat Brewing Company in South Burlington, Vermont.

A very normal beer. You might think that's a criticism but it's not. If you're thirsty and want a beer that's not too fancy to go with your hot dog while you're watching the Indians (Go Tribe!) pick this beer. I'd buy this one again.

So much news

First, the beer from two posts ago is Redbach.

Now, a new beer, Buffalo Bill's Brewery Orange Blossom Cream Ale:



A very orangey smell when first opened. A foamy mouth feel, like other cream ales. Bitter aftertaste. I don't really taste much orange. Sadly, a rather average beer. I don't dislike it, but there's nothing very unique or interesting about it. If you like an orangey beer, get some Blue Moon Ale and put an orange slice on the rim of your glass.

***********

If you like swaps, join the next Dishcloth Swap (see link on sidebar). I got my package from my dishcloth buddy and it was GREAT!! She made a Chinese theme and included Sugar & Cream yarn in a self striping colorway I hadn't seen before, fortune cookie stitch markers, soap that looks like fortune cookies, chocolate covered pretzels, two dishcloths (using the Peaches & Cream ball band pattern, also seen in Mason Dixon Knitting), and an insulated beer tote. (Can you tell she reads this blog? :-)

************

The Mother Bear Project

If you can knit, please make a bear for this project. You can get the pattern from them for a small donation, or it's also in the book Knitting for Peace by Betty Christiansen. A very small investment of time and yarn to help comfort a child in Africa affected by HIV/AIDS.

I sent one, and I got a very nice note back from Amy Berman (the founder of the project) thanking me. It was handwritten and from the comment, I could tell she really had seen the bear so it wasn't a form letter.

************

OTN:

A prayer shawl for my new nephew's baptism. I'm using Lion Brand Homespun in the Tudor colorway. As much as I usually prefer natural fibers, I'm really liking how it's turning out. I didn't realize when I picked out the color, but it has a nice self striping effect.

A gray shawl in laceweight, which being in laceweight, I can only knit on for a little while before wanting to go blind. This is a very long term project. In fact, I suspect it may end up being a dresser scarf just so I can be done with it.

A stashbusting log cabin blanket for my daughter. Follow this link and scroll to the bottom to learn how. I organized my stash and found out that for some reason I have, in scientific terms, roughly a freight car load of acrylic worsted weight.

A scarf for Threads of Compassion. If you have a Dollar Tree in your area, especially if it is a big one, check out the crafty section. Mine has a fair amount of Lion Brand Fun Fur, Funky Fur, ribbon yarn, and ladder yarn for only $1 a ball (regularly about $4-$5). Two or three balls is enough for a scarf. I am keeping this one on my Knitlite needles and as it is in garter stitch saving it for the movies. (Yes, I knit in the dark at movies.)

I think that's all for now. Oh wait, I just cast on for another bear. And I promised my husband a pair of socks and a sweater.