Needle Felting Mittens

My second go at the felt balls was not much more successful then my first. I am still not sure what i am doing wrong and it didn't help that when i googled felt balls looking for help i came across two sites named "Felt Balls Are So Easy." So i guess i will keep trying... I did however have great success tonight with needle felting. Thanks to Julie's wonderful workshop I was a needle felting pro in no time. I started by taking an old sweater of Todd's and felting it in the washing machine. I then traced around my hand and cut out the mitten shape. For the circle pattern i used both roving and wool yarn which i attached using both the 5 needle and single needle tool. To my complete surprise and delight it worked wonderfully. Next i am goign to sew the two parts of the mitten together and make the mitten for the other hand.

Felted Balls

As a result of having a sick child, who took an extra long nap, i was very productive today. I decided to start on my attempts at felting. Felting is something i have wanted to try for a while. I know very little about felting, just what i have learned from watching others and reading about it. So i decided to start with simple, felt balls. For my first attempt, i tried three different techniques that i had read about. 1) using only roving(carded wool fibers before they are spun into yarn) 2) using only wool yarn 3) using yarn covered in an outside layer of roving. I then put all the balls into a sock separated by rubber bands and washed the sock on the hot/cold cycle of the dishwasher.

Outcome:
- The all roving felt ball worked well.
- Some of the yarn balls with roving on the top felted and some did not.
- Overall 1 out of the 6 was a success.

What to try next time:
- Place felt balls in a stocking.
- Use less roving on the outside and wrap roving all the way around yarn ball.

The good news is that in addition to felting the balls i also felted three old sweaters for my next attempt, felted mittens...

Fish: It's whats for dinner

Inspired by the success of last night's steak dinner, i decided to really be crazy and make fish. I have never made fish and i have never eaten fish. So i decided to start the easy way. Tilapia, a frozen fillet of Tilapia to be exact. Fortunately, Reesa was here to suggest i bake it and give me a little moral support. I seasoned the fish with garlic, salt, pepper and a little olive oil and baked it for 10 minutes in a 400 degree oven. Too my complete and utter surprise it was a success. Todd loved it. Now i need another fish recipe, how else can you prepare fish? What other kinds of fish are good?

Steak: it's what's for dinner

For my first "try it" I started with something that i have already been working on for a few weeks... making steak. This sounds like an easy enough task but there are two factors to consider. 1) i don't just want to make a steak. I want to make a good steak, a great steak. 2) i am a vegetarian. I do not currently eat steak nor have i eaten steak since i was a little kid. I therefore have to rely on Todd's taste buds.

How i made my steak:
I bought a Cab Eye Round Steak, poked holes in it with a fork, added a little olive oil and Montreal steak seasoning. I then put the steak in a hot pan for 1 1/2 minutes on each side. Next i put a pat of butter in the pan and basted the steak for another minute or two.

Outcome: (according to Todd's Palate)
- Steak was good
- Slightly overdone
- Seasoning was good

Overall the steak turned out well. Although it was a little too overdone. I may in the future cook it for less time on each side or try another cut of meat. Any suggestions?