What I'm Loving: Baby Camel Yarn

My new love. And my toes.

I've been in the Ann Arbor area for about a year now, and it's taken me this long to get to the local yarn shop, Busy Hands. I haven't really bought what would be considered a fancier yarn since I moved here - I've basically been working through my stash of Cascade 220 and Lion Brand Nature's Choice Organic Cotton, knitting far too many gifts for my friend's babies. Anything new I've bought has been on Amazon, so it goes without saying it had been far too long since I had set foot in an actual yarn shop.

I dragged Scott in not planning to buy anything - Ha! - and I even managed to resist most of the modest selection of soft textures and interesting colorways in the beginning. Then I saw a basket hung on the wall filled with the most beautifully textured camel colored yarn, so of course I had to go up and touch it. When I got close enough to read the label, I saw it said "Handspun Baby Camel." Of course the camel color was so perfect - it was actual camel! Duh. I immediately loved the texture of the Baby Camel yarn, thicker sections mixing with thinner sections...agh. Yarn love. And at $16.50 a skein, it wasn't the most horribly expensive yarn I had ever seen. If it were just some regular old wool yarn, I probably would have walked away. I probably could have even kept moving if it was llama yarn. But yarn made from baby camels? I immediately imagined the adorable faces of the baby camels, and thought how they would be so offended if I didn't buy their super cool hair.

Please buy my yarn! I made it for you with my own hair!

I decided I had to have it, and of course Scott (my enabler) was lovely enough to buy it for me, along with two sets of double pointed needles so I could make some beautiful gloves to go with the lovely coat he just ordered for me. (I'm getting particularly spoiled this week.) I'm not sure if he was happy because it made me so happy, or because I promised when the gloves were done it would be like holding hands with a baby camel. But not, because they have hooves. I've already started knitting one glove, and it's stitching out so nicely. And it's so soft too! Stay tuned for the pattern/tutorial.

If you feel like a medium yarn splurge, or need something to put on your holiday list, this Handspun Baby Camel Yarn from Lotus Yarns is an absolute must have - if only so that you can say you knitted with baby camel hair. Keep in mind when buying it that it does come in the natural color of the camel, so skeins may differ slightly in color. Buy it in person if you can, but you can find it online for a bit more than I paid here. So go and buy some, I'm enabling you. This yarn definitely has the cool factor.

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Thanksgivukkah/Back in Business

 

So it looks like I've been absent from here for about a year. Yikes. I could go on and on about family issues and personal health, or I could just jump back right where I left off - Chanukah! But, that's not quite as easy as we think it is this year. For those of you who own a calendar, you'll notice that it is, in fact, November. This year is special. So special, that we won't see another year like this for over 70,000 years. This year, we face the holiday shopping ruining, traditional cooking meshing, confusing celebratory anomaly that is:

THANKSGIVUKKAH

Unlike with regular Chanukah/Hannukah/Hanukah/Chanukashdfasdf, I'm definitely sure that's how it should be spelled. So, what does this mean? For many of you who don't celebrate Chanukah, a whole lot of nothing, right? Consider, for a moment, the opportunity you have here. Non Jewish people may not be familiar with the delicious foods of Chanukah, and you may be surprised to see how, by combining many traditional Thanksgiving foods with the holiday food of my people, you can have a downright delicious cultural learning experience. I've gathered a few recipes that combine the All American Thanksgiving foods we hold dear with some of the tastiest of Chanukah treats. So this year, Jewish or no, let your tummies and your kitchen utensils live a little!

Recipes best accompanied by a viewing of Rugrats Chanukah for the full cultural experience.

1. Kosher Pumpkin Donuts - Thanksgivukkah Boston
2. Challah Bread Stuffing - Gothamist
3. Chocolate Cranberry Cake w/Gelt Glaze - What Jew Wanna Eat
4. Potato Latkes Topped w/ Turkey & Cranberry Chutney - The Girl in the Little Red Kitchen
5. Sufganiyot Stuffing w/ Bacon - My Name is Yeh
6. Pumpkin Challah - The Shiksa in the Kitchen
7. Latke-Crusted Turkey Stuffing Fritters w/Liquid Cranberry Core & Turkey Schmaltz Gravy - Serious Eats
8. Sweet Potato Noodle Kugel - Rhubarb and Honey
9. Homemade Manichewitz Flavored Marshmallows - Cupcake Project

-Cami