I got the pattern for House Slippers by Amy over at Angry Chicken last year sometime...maybe even more than a year ago. I tried making them, they didn't work out, I shelved them and decided to go back to them today. I find my feet stay in much better condition if I don't go barefoot. I love being barefoot, but my feet do get dry faster when I do, so I need some kind of slippers.
They worked up quickly, and were much easier than the last time...I must have been in a mood when I tried them before. I enjoyed using the fold over elastic, that was pretty fun.
I'm a little underwhelmed at the finished product, though. My hope was, that I could whip these up in an afternoon, and shelf my nagging, back of my mind, desire to knit slippers for myself. That desire has not gone away, so maybe these will keep my feet moisturized and warm while I pick my knitting pattern...
Tonight Husband, Dad and I went to the Lee Public Library for a class on Maple Sugaring. We have Sugar Maples in the property, and have talked about wanting to give it a try. The class was our next step in figuring out if we are going to try it this year, or wait another year. The class was taught by Steve Roberge of UNH Cooperative Extension. He did a great job, the class was enough information that you felt like you could dive in, but not so detailed to make you feel overwhelmed.
Fun fact that I learned about grades tonight...Grade A "Fancy" has always baffled me, because frankly it just tastes like sugar water to me. Give me the rich fully bodied flavor of the Grade B, that's real syrup...well, it turns out sugar water is what they were aiming for back in the day. Cane Sugar, though pretty cheap and plentiful now, was pricey and hard to get back then, so they found that if they used the Grade A Fancy it mimicked the flavor of cane sugar. The Darker, richer syrup was too flavorful and would stand out too much in a recipe.
I think we've decided to give it a shot, IF we can find the necessary equipment at a reasonable price. We only want to make a couple gallons, just for fun and to get our feet wet. It's something my dad has always wanted to try, and as you know, I'm up for just about anything. I still have my Sugarmomma, but it would be fun to make some of my own, too.
While I was at the class I heard about the NH Farm and Forest Expo. It is happening next Friday and Saturday (February 5-6). It looks quite cool.
Another upcoming event in the area (well sort of in the area) is the first Winter Farmer's Market in Concord NH. If you want anymore information you can check out Virginia's Blog, where she lists each farm and what they will be offering. It looks great! I probably won't be there as my town is holding the deliberative session for the school budget, so I will probably be doing the "responsible citizen" thing and heading over to that...we'll see.




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