Moved

Site/blog relocated to http://coppermothstudio.wordpress.com/

Maple tree's of Doom

It's official according to the pollen count, the maple tree's are on the attack. Well, at least that's what my immune system thinks. Yay allergies.   Does anyone know where I can find some stylish face mask for filtering pollen and dust?  I'm supposed to wear them when I go outside, but I hate scaring the small kids. So instead I don't do it and pay dearly for it. 

I have the desire to fill a space, the ceiling, with pods.

The Sun is shining!

Well lets see, I've been busy and got sick.  That's nothing new though is it? hrm.

JUST re-opened with an etsy shop.  I'm trying to get everything set up.   Here's the address coppermothstudio.etsy.com 

I will be trying to get stuff listed in the next couple of days.  Those items so far are, stitch markers and pendants.  I will be making some individual Pod's  and doing some electroforming in the near future to offer in my shop. 

~

The only knitting I have been working on is my Wool Peddlers shawl. I don't mind that. It satisfies me and that's all that matters.  I also did some sewing.  I've not done a whole terrible lot cause I had been sick and was still working my retail job AND I was picking up other people's hours that called off.

Hello snow

It's was 53 F out yesterday, wake up this morning and there is snow. Huh, welcome to Indiana.

I have today off from work and am taking epic advantage of it to knit. 
I woke up at 4:30 this morn, I went to bed super early as I haven't been feeling well lately. First thing I did was to finish up that clover hat I had been working on. The hat is now drying on my kitchen table and later I will take some photo's to update the project page over in Ravelry.  Whew, that's effectively off my plate.
Now I can work on other knitting things!  Like the samples for work I need to get done ASAP!
I have cast on the simple scarf.  You can see its basic stats on my project page, labeled: Class Sample, Warm and simple scarf.  I'm hoping to attract some teenagers for this class by using colors that seemed to fit the upcoming color trends for 2012. Hope I picked right.   It's going amazingly fast... well was. I stopped knitting to make a blog post. The yarn is omg, Red Heart Super Saver. yes, I said red heart. Seriously though, this yarn is fine. I also feel it is PERFECT for a beginning teenage knitter.  Very cost effective and machine washable if one so dares.  The scarf is turning out pretty squishy too.

Next I believe I need to make a slipper sock for another class sample. That's going to be done is some um, let me think..., Lion brand tweed stripes? I think. I'll find out when I get to it here in a couple days probably.  

Other non-work related knitting I want to do: knit an ear-flap hat for my husband and a new scarf for him.  I also want to do a longer term knitting project such as a shawl. I just can't decided what one. I was going to do a lace weight with beads till I found out that the local bead store closed. :( so instead I'm looking to do a fingering weight shawl.

The reason for all these fresh projects? well I didn't know about the work samples till just recently, but I want all this stuff to qualify for Nerd Wars!!! Go Team 1up!    I just have to figure out how they fit the monthly categories. Ug.

My sewing/fiber room is pretty well moved into and set up. Now to just get in there and sew. I even bought some more fabric. So projects are lining up!  (for a new shop and personal, whew)

I have also started casually playing WoW again, but on a fresh character and new server. Though my crafts are getting preferential treatment over gaming. Hah! I know what I like and I'm keeping it balanced. This doesn't mean I don't enjoy the game, I just know that if I'm attached to the stupid pc for that long I become a VERY cranky girl and my world goes wonky.

I heard from an old friend yesterday, it wasn't much, but it surprised me.  They managed to forget to show up to my Commencement and the party that followed, since I was constantly feeling like an after thought in their life, that was the straw that broke the camels back.  I put the friendship into hibernation. It's an interesting thing for me to reflect on and muse about over my coffee and knitting. I know I am no longer upset over it, but I have no desire to go out on a limb.

Back to knitting.

Had a Long Hiatus.

Coming back to my blog after almost a year, not easy.  So I'm going to make a quick summery of last year.

Summer was hard, I spent every weekday morning checking job sites and applying to jobs. Sometimes I checked in the evenings too. I had to drop a summer metals casting workshop cause I couldn't afford the materials.  Tried a couple festivals to sell items, pretty well flopped. I sold NOTHING at one of them.  Started my business, tried Artfire.  Art Fire went to a subscription that my shop didn't have the income to cover so I closed the shop in Oct.     In Aug I finally landed a Job, It was my first interview.   Full time  employment, I suddenly never saw my studio and became sick all time.   In Oct I became suddenly so ill after they installed new carpet in the building that I had to have a CT scan and multiple Dr. visits. Took well over a month to become healthy again. In the mean time I worked from home. Unfortunately due to circumstances, beyond my control, I was forced to resign from that position in Dec.  Nuff said about that epic learning experience.

Now I recently found new employment. It's right in my field of expertise.  Yes, the hours are less and so is the pay but I love this job, the co-workers, the customers and I have time to get my own stuff going in my studio!   Plus, I'm not sick all the time anymore.   I feel the depression finally going away and feeling my worth again.  My husband is also finally on first shift!   the past couple weeks have been spent moving my fiber studio and other fine arts things out of the upstairs as the bedroom is now all one room, upstairs.  The room previously housing the bed is becoming a cozy little fiber/craft studio.  I have a couple new book cases to help in all this re-organization of studio and living spaces too.  Some things went all the way to the basement studio, others to the fiber studio. I still have some things to sort out and put away, but I'm very excited over it all.  I'm finding things I've not seen in months!!! Cause they where stowed away in a bin or what not.   Woot. 

Moving on

With the new fiber studio I was able to quickly set up a small photo shoot and finally updated my WIP's in Ravelry. I also added a couple things to my stash.   Did that just a couple hours ago.. I'm on a roll!   I've also fairly well decided what I'm going to do for a dissertation project in Nerd Wars T4. I should still be in Team 1up. I didn't choose another for this upcoming round.   I'm thinking of doing the Aeolian Shawl by Elizabeth Freeman. I'm leaning towards using a skein of Vally Yarns alpaca silk I have that I need to over dye first. 

Last Tuesday Hilary (Hippie Penguin) and I made a recent podcast recording in my new fiber space,
Link to the Hippiepenguin site, the next recording should be next week if I'm not scheduled to work. Cross your fingers!   I'll see about cross posting the podcast here in the future when we cast.

~Coppermoth

Getting there, slowly but surely.

I have an unusually long-ish and odd to do list today, I'm sure you won't mind if I start with that so that I may clear my fluffy brain.
In no specific order: (edited to mark off what I was able to finish)
Poop scoop backyard
Cut open window
Install window screen in newly operable window.
De-contaminate tools used in pewter workshop.
Fold Laundry
Make Pork-chops and potatoes
Sort Findings
Wash the car
Give Milly a bath
Debate my sanity
Plan out creations to make
Make some said creations

I would like to be able to get all of that done today. The last two on the list are perpetual though and could become list's of there own.

I took a 3 day intensive workshop over the weekend with Fred Fenster on Pewtersmithing. It was my second time in this workshop and so I was left to tinker somewhat on my own.  I can't work with the stuff in my own studio as pewter contaminates other fine metals. It has such a low melting point that if a spec of it gets on the copper, brass, or silver it would melt a black hole them. So, until I can make a second dedicated space n tools I won't work in it at home.  Anyways, I made a pewter tea strainer. I designed it to sit on top of a cup for when you pour the tea in containing loose leaves. The basket is woven.  I was told that I should try to challenge my self and so I did. Setting in that thin woven basket was a pain, but I did it. The ring on the back is soldered onto the basket, the rest is then fused together. Fusing is welding, except in pewter it's done at a very low temp. Just under 500 degrees Fahrenheit. So I basically melted it together with more pewter.

I also recently made a pair of hand cut and hammered copper earrings.

I'm working on finishing two pairs of woven earrings at the moment. One pair is fine silver and the other pair is green coated copper. Both woven pairs are already claimed work.

At the beginning of the month I had made and donated a pair of fine silver earrings for an art fundraising auction. Unfortunately the auction didn't get the patrons it needed for such. Saturday the earrings were returned to me.  They are titled "Kibou", meaning Hope in Japanese. The fundraiser had been specifically for tsunami relief and was put on by the local Japanese Saturday school here at the University.

I'm also trying to get ready for my first Art Festival, It's The Arts on Main in Kendalville and only one day. I have one month. Whew, will see. I'm mostly interested in seeing how I set up and things go for me. I can't think that I can manage to make a lot of things to actually sell in such short time. Most artist spend the winter months making stock for the summer festivals, with having been in school I didn't have that opportunity. This will mostly be a chance for me to just show my work. Maybe get a commission.

Fiber Basket


I've not really finished in of my fluffy stuff. I'm still working on a sockhead hat, an ishbel shawl, and the plain brown socks.  The stripy scarf, lattice cable hat, and pi blanket are all hibernating. I'm starting to pick the knitting back up on Thursday evenings when I go to knit with my friend. I barely knit at all the last semester of school. I simply did not have the time!   I can say though that this was TOTALLY worth taking up my knitting and social time!  No if ands or buts about it. 

I can now proudly say that I hold a B.F.A in metal smithing from Indiana University. Go me!

Wow! It's May!

Life became very busy for me, I seriously cracked down and did nothing but studio work. Hence my absenteeism. I finished last semester and this past semester with solid 4.0's. Go me!   Last night was Commencement! It took 3 hours alone for the ceremonies.  Whew, I survived.  So now maybe I can start knitting again? Hmm, will see.

I'm working on setting up my metals studio in the basement. It means a lot of sorting and moving things from upstairs all the way downstairs. If I hurry up and do this though, I will be able to immediately start working. I'm still waiting though for the phone call that my torch tips and hose kit are in.  They had said that it would be in by now. I think that I shall give them a call about it today.

Ahhh! It's What? Already?!

Wow! I have been so busy with school that it slipped past me to post here! Bad me! Bad Me!

I have my final faculty critique on March 4, so I've pretty well lost my mind I think. I'm hoping to have all my work pretty well done by then. The opening for the exhibition is Mar 28, I want that time in between to make any final tweeks with out running to the last darn min.  I'm fairly well on track time wise with my work, but it means I don't have much time for fun. Still need to take care of my household and I'm not content if I don't do that.  I try to take at least one day a week off, so I can spend time with my husband.

This weekend I need to finish getting some things ready for electro-forming on Monday. By the end of the week I hope to have that done, a cushion sewn, and another large sculptural piece finished.  I'm not insane, right?

So, all this means I've not been doing anything fun fibery related. No time, or my hands are to tired/sore to want to do any when I do have some time.  My husband and I have been trading off meals and they've all been simple quick things mostly. But I was treated to homemade California rolls one night by a friend. That was an awesome treat.

Other things epically throwing a wrench in my time? My car being a butt and dying. Mind you, it's our only car. The battery was dying. We eventually where able to replace it. But not till after spending the week going,. ok why is the battery half dead? is it this bitter cold killing it? no.. it was just old. Duh!
Then the other day, my husband ends up going to the ER at 6 am from work. :( Epic bad bad bad panic attack. This left me at home with no car and our car at his work and him in the hospital... that was a fun dynamic. I did get a ride a squared it all away. He know has a Doc appointment and is doing ok. But it's still a big ball of stress when it happens.

In other news, my grandfather brought me an air compressor and nail gun. Why? Cause he bought him self a new one on a super sale! Not that there was anything wrong with the "old" ones. I think I'm just a good excuse for him to get new toys. lol.  I guess it's good to be a sculpture/metalsmith.  Did I ever mention I'm actually really good with wood? hahaha.  This just allows me to do more fun stuff.  I wonder when I'm going to inherit a table saw, drill press, and sander? that would be useful.  I actually own a really nice table saw blade.  Unfortunately I don't really have a place to easily put those things to use them. More than half my basement is finished and this would all just make a bad mess of it. But darn it, I love doing mixed media work. I love my metals though so much too... and fiber.. lol.

Nom Nom of the Moment
Well, I thought that even though I'm not doing epic awesome cooking as much right now I would still share A recipe. I have some friends who like me need to only cook for one or two. So I'm going to share a simple meal scaled for that. 

Garlic Potatoes  serves 2
2 potato's
2 tbs butter
1 garlic clove, crushed
salt

Quarter the potatoes length wise (peeling optional), and boil them for 10 mins. drain well. While the potatoes are on to boil, preheat the oven to 350F.
Melt the butter and place it into a baking pan, add the garlic and potato strips and toss/turn them to coat. Sprinkle with salt.  Bake in the oven for about 45 mins, turning them at least one. They should be a golden color. :)

Oven Fried Chicken serves 2
1.5 lb Chicken Pieces
1/4 cup Bread Crumbs
1/4 cup Grated Parmesan Cheese (not from the can...)
1/4 tsp Paprika
1/4 tsp Salt
pepper
1/4 cup Buttermilk
butter for greasing a baking dish

Preheat the oven to 350F, butter a baking dish.
Rinse off the chicken and pat dry with paper towels. Combine the bread crumbs with the cheese and seasonings.  Dip the chicken in the buttermilk and then roll/dredge it in the breadcrumb mix. Place in you baking dish.   Bake for 1 hour.

For both recipes, make sure your baking dish is just large enough so that your things have room to cook. A single layer for the potatoes and enough so the chicken isn't touching each other, also, use SEPARATE baking dishes. :)  We don't want any cross food contamination.  If you have any questions, leave me comment and I will happily respond!    Oh, this chicken would be awesome to take on a picnic too!

Happy Nomming!

What? A Head Cold? Bleh.

Yep, that's right I have a head cold that is refusing to hit the road. If course, it could be a sinus infection. I'm pretty good at getting those too. Either way, it's annoying.  It started last Saturday (16th) after a couple days it let up and I thought it was going away, I was wrong. It's lingering and refusing to check out. Because of the constant head ache and ear ache I'm leaning towards my sinuses being infected. GER!

Well even though I've not been fully functioning at my best I have still been working on my metal work and knitting. Wed. I ordered more wire and was very surprised to have it arrive the next day! I went right to work with it only to have to problem solve, after problem solve, after problem solve. UG.  I REFUSE to give up. I WILL have a finished piece. Tomorrow is the day I will get everything to work together. I'm sure of it.
Today I went into campus to help my Professor set up and get ready for his gallery exhibit that opens Tuesday.  Being there has put some pep back into my heart, to try harder and to see my concept come to fruition as a finished work. So, here's to hoping for a very productive day tomorrow in my studio and not a day frustration.

Fiber Basket
Knitting wise I have been pretty darn productive. I have been stuck on the couch a bit with the not feeling well. This is good for knitting, till I'm too woozy to see straight. HA!  Well, I finished a hat, and a scarf! I finished the horizontal cabled band on another hat too. I need to pick up 152 stitches on it now to knit the top.  I tried to finish my little house hippo out of the orange Wollmeise that I have.. UG I simply CAN'T do it. I'm HATING the WM. I know blasphemy to so many. I do not like knitting with it. I don't want the yarn to ruin the project for me so I've set it aside again. I'm going to pick out a different yarn that I have some scraps left of and make my House Hippo out of that. I have some bright blue safety eyes for it too.

Nom Nom of the Moment

I don't have a nom right this very second to share, but I am watching the show "Worst Cooks in America" on Food Network. I'm a bit floored by some of it, I kind of turn my head sideways and go ehh beehhh whhaaa??  At the mistakes that the contestants make. I understand that cooking doesn't work for everyone but I've not been subjected to those people. Those around me that lack in the cooking ability always leave it at that. They don't cook.  I can't recall a time that I didn't want to help in the kitchen. I remember standing on chairs to help.  HA! I remember standing on chairs to wash the dishes! Doing chores and cooking at a young age, I assure you, did me nothing but GOOD!  I love to cook! I get the idea to make something, I will go through my shelf of cookbooks comparing variations of a recipe before I settle on how I'm cooking it. Usually, tis a success! Woot! 

I did make some whole wheat chocolate chip cookies on Tuesday. It was my first time using whole wheat flour.  You see, I tested positive for having a Barley allergy back in August. We tested it among many other foods with an elimination diet afterwards. Barley had to go.  Standard all purpose flour is allowed to have up to 25% barley flour added to it. To my dismay most all purpose flours at my local supermarket have it.  Along with most EVERY BAKED GOOD out there. I'm now constantly found reading labels and sadly putting something back on the shelf.    So the cookies felt like a treat and they where good. Even my husband loved them. (he can be a picky bugger)

To give an idea of my dietary frustration I think that maybe I should tell you my restrictions. It will help you to understand why some future recipes may seem.... odd. Or different.
Food Allergy List:
Barley (Malt, Malted barley flour, Barley flour...) this is everywhere
Beef
Chicken (but not eggs oddly enough)
Raw Tomato
Bell Pepper ( I plan to re-test this one soon on the elimination diet)
Banana
Grapefruit
Strawberry
Mango
Cashew
Walnut
Almond

I also no-longer have a gallbladder. So about a year after surgery and I was having some other odd dietary issues and hives... My doctor sent me to an allergist.  Between a bad gallbladder and allergies, no wonder I was sick so much and just outright cranky! Now that I no longer have the pain of the gallbladder and the misery of allergies, life has become much more enjoyable. Knowing what you are allergic to is half the battle, once you know it you can take the steps to avoid those things.

~Hugs~

Hello World!

Hello! I’d like to introduce my new blog, I’ve tried to blog before with no direction,” Married, with Furballs”. My previous blog went no-where, I never knew what to post and when I did I felt silly because I was rarely posting anyways so why bother? Well I’d like to rectify that. Starting with my blogs title! The title happened this past week while I was happily sitting on the couch after a day of accomplishing some domestic house duties, which I enjoy doing I might add. I’m married and I have 3 furry pets plus a decent fiber stash. So “Married, with Furballs” encompasses a lot of different “furballs”. 2 cats, a dwarf hamster, a fabric stash, a yarn stash, and a fleece/spinning fiber stash. I really enjoy and take pride in keeping my house too. Though, sometimes it does get past me if I’ve been super busy with school or work things. Do not think that my home is Sparkling, I have my off days.

I mentioned school; I’m in my final semester of a B.F.A degree in metalsmithing. My specialty in metals seems to be becoming fine filigree work. I do appreciate the other forms of metal work as I also like to work in pewter. Well ok. I do small sculpture and filigree jewelry right now. I really hope to learn to set cut gems soon and would absolutely love to learn enamel work. One step at a time and one day at a time though. I don’t have my own torch set up yet in my personal studio here at home. Soon enough, then I will get to some basic enamel work. Can’t wait! I have my first exhibition gallery show in the end of March this year, the artist opening is April 1st. I’m hoping it being on April fool’s day means nothing. *crosses fingers* So far everything is going real well for me in regards to the show. I don’t plan to post any of my work on here though till closer to show time; don’t want to ruin it you know. ;)

I hope to regularly share recipes of things I recently made here in my blog. I think I shall call this section Nom Nom of the moment. It could be daily or weekly, not sure yet. It will probably happen as the Noms happen. I love to cook and I have to substitute ingredients regularly for dietary allergies. So many things I make are personal concoctions or hodgepodges of having read 10 other things to come up with one. I won’t post it unless it meets Nommy criteria! So here we go…

Nom Nom of the moment!


Turkey Meatballs with a kick.
Makes 12 golf ball sized meatballs (Serves 4)

1 pound plain ground turkey
1/2 a medium onion minced
1/2 cup Panko Bread Crumbs
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon dried parsley
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/4 garlic powder

1. Preheat the oven to 350F and line a 9 x 13 jellyroll pan with foil. (it’s the baking sheet with a raised rim)

2. Using your hands (don’t forget to take off your rings!), mix all the ingredients together in a large bowl. Then shape the meat mush into balls the size of golf balls (about 1.5 inches) in your hands and arrange them on the lined baking sheet.

3. Bake for 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool on the sheet for 15 minutes.

Enjoy on your favorite spaghetti or cut them in half to make into meatball sandwiches with your favorite red sauce! I might add some mozzarella cheese slices if I had it in a sandwich.

Fiber Basket
In this section I’m going to talk about my fiber love… projects I have going and so forth. Whether it is a sewing, knitting, weaving, or spinning related thing; if it’s fiber, here it will be.

Knitting… oh dear. I just looked and it seems I have 7ish things on the needles waiting to be finished. I seriously need to finish one of them very soon as it is to be a gift for a friend whom is due in … 5 weeks? I don’t want to say specifically what it is as I want it to be a surprise, just in case they see this. The other items include 3 hats, a tiny plushie, a shawl, and a pair of socks. I should really get on top of this knitting!

The hats stories go like this. One was going to be a Christmas gift but I didn’t start it till after the school semester was over, well that was the doom, I had too much other stuff going on to get it finished. It’s about halfway. Another is a heavily cabled wonder I was working on in scrumptious misti alpaca in a crème color. It was set down and forgotten. The third I started in October and is very simple mindless knitting. It’s my travel project. Except I’m always the one driving. Ha!

The shawl? Well the yarn it turns out I’m not thrilled with at all. I will probably still finish it though. I think I will love it when I’m done, I’m just not enjoying working with the yarn. I see knots in the skein for one thing.

The tiny plushie? Well I realized I had no eyes for it after I made the head and set it aside in my desk drawer. Someone sent me awesome blue eyes for it and I added them to the drawer so the kitten wouldn’t run off with them. They are still there.

Those evil socks…. I knit one and realized that even though I was on gauge and knitting the pattern as stated for my size they where WAY TO BIG AROUND!!!!! They fit my Husband… that bad. So I lengthened them. One is done and I’m to the heel flap of the second. I work on them every now and then. I have little heart to work hard on them as they would have been the first pair of socks for ME. ME ME ME!!! But they aren’t now, so it’s disappointing a bit sometimes to work on them. Though, my husband loves them a lot already. That’s what has my heart back into working on them. But they are pretty plain socks to work. One problem, It has taken me a year to knit one.

So maybe I can use blogging to help push myself to finish these darn knitting projects. There is a Shawl I really want to knit and I’ve decided I absolutely cannot start it till I finish up this mess of knitting. No if ands or buts about it! So maybe you guys can help keep me inline and knitting! I sure hope so.

I will be trying to post at the very least weekly, if I manage daily to every other day that would be epic. So here’s to a fresh start and a New Year!

~Hugs~