Here are the Spearmint mints in a leaf pattern. Got them made after dinner. ::grin::

For those requesting the recipe, here it is!

1 1 pound box of powdered sugar
1 3 ounce package cream cheese (not low fat, use the real stuff)
1/8 teaspoon any flavor of flavoring OIL (you can get this at cake decorating / candy supply store)
food coloring
Rubber mint mold (you can get these at a cake decorating / candy supply store)
Granulated sugar

Soften the cream cheese then mix in the powdered sugar. This will make an extremely stiff dough that takes a while to come together but keep kneading it till it looks and feels like play dough. You may need to add some water by teaspoons to the mix to get it workable.

About half way through mixing the powdered sugar and cream cheese, I add the food coloring and flavoring then continue kneading till it is all well blended.

Pinch off a small amount of the dough, press into the granulated sugar and press that side down into the mold.

Unmold onto wax paper or plastic wrap.

Continue till all of the dough has been used. If it feels like it's drying out, just knead in a teaspoon or two of water.

Allow the mints to dry a bit then turn them over and let the other side dry as well.

Store in a loosely closed container or freeze.

The most common flavors are peppermint, spearmint, wintergreen, and lemon. I've not tried cinnamon though that might be good. Clove is a period flavor to the SCA so that is one of the reasons I am making a batch of that unusual flavor. The other reason is because I like the taste. :)

I know I'm going to get some knitting in somewhere along the line! I wanted to do a comfort blanket for the Critter project but I keep thinking I'm going to run out of time. :( I'll just have to see how things go.

With the new job that I'm learning and enjoying, the stockings that need working on, Equestrian practice and just plain old real live, I never can say that my life is boring!

It's almost Hump Day!!!!!

Let's see. Work today with some overtime then home to make the first batch of cream cheese mints for the SCA event this weekend. This is peppermint. I have Spearmint and Clove to make still.

No knitting since life and obligations are taking over for a bit. Maybe this weekend which would be great since I really want to get the stockings done!

How's everyone else's knitting going!? Are you all getting in the mood to knit something for summer?

I've been bad! I actually haven't knitted any this week. There always seemed to be some regular life stuff that kept interfering! This will be an interesting week for me as I don't have to be in to work till 8am and I'll be starting to learn how to scrub for the procedures.

As for this weekend, Saturday was helping clean up the park where we will be having out May SCA camping event. My face was fine as I put sunscreen on but I thought my arms were a little tougher than they really were so they both got a little red. No pictures of the cleanup... just a bunch of people with black garbage bags. ::grin::

Sunday was Equestrian Practice! This first picture is of practice with the horses passing in opposite directions. Getting them used to passing closely in all gaits and not shying away. This will be for the jousting we will be having.

No, I'm not going to be jousting. You have to have armor for that and I'm a big chicken. hehe I don't wanna get hit.

This is a series of pictures of the Quintain. This is a shield on a cross bar that spins when you hit it with the 8 foot long pole. You get points for each complete revolution that it makes so.... the harder you hit it, the better.


Your horse has to be trained to not mind a long pole crossing over its neck and sticking out in front of their face. Then there is the sound of hitting the Quintain that happens pretty darned close to the horses head.

You have the recoil of hitting the Quintain that you have to lean into and the rattan spear actually bends.

Then you have to follow through and get past the spinning Quintain. The person you see kneeling on the other side actually holds the Quintain still as the horse gets close. Wind can start the Quintain spinning when you don't want it to.

Originally, the Quintain had weighted bags on the opposite end so, if you didn't ride through or your horse was a tad slow, the bags hit the rider in the back.

For those of you who still have snow, it was 82 degrees F on Saturday and in the 70's on Sunday. Lots of sun!!!

This coming week... work and I'll be making some cream cheese ments for the Herald's and Scribes classes that will be held on Saturday. No riding that day but, I, most likely, will be taking my knitting unless I decide to be lazy and send my contributions with someone else and just staying home. We'll see how things work out.

Have you all been as busy as I have? Wheeeeeeeee!!!!

I was at the Outlands' Crown Tournament this weekend. Loads of intense fighting but also plenty of knitting time. The more I rooted for my favorite, the faster I knitted and I have over 100 rounds done on the Queen Elizabeth I stockings. Of course, I'm surprised that I didn't bend my needles from the death grip that I had on them. hehehe

The fabric is extremely soft and I bet they will feel great when worn. I'm actually wondering if I can find a pattern for a top for me that I can make out of this 100% silk yarn. Maybe something simple like a shell or tank top.

Here is a picture of the current crown. The couple sitting down. They will be stepping down and the new ones will take over. Each reign is 6 months and successors are chosen by a Crown Tournament..... the men fight each other until there is only one left. It's more complicated than that simple explanation but that is the gist of what happens.

Here is a fun picture. I wish it was a little clearer but the King and Queen are handing out weapons called Boffers to the children. These are specially designed weapons that are child safe and the kids can safely emulate their parents. All the kids were in garb, too. Yes, families belong to the SCA and everyone dresses in period clothing.

How was your weekend?

Busy at work as usual. :) Had my work related conference last weekend in Roswell... no aliens to bring home, though. hehehe. This weekend, I'll be going back to Roswell for Crown Tournament for the Kingdom of the Outlands.

I'll be taking my knitting... probably the Queen Elizabeth I stockings since they are easier to concentrate on when away from home. It will be nice to see how much I actually can get done.

Now for a picture to, hopefully, make you all smile. This is Coco. My horse from when I was in highschool... 1969-1972. I sold him in 1974 when I found that I couldn't go to college full time, work full time, and still have time to ride him. I sold him to a trainer for his young daughter. Actually felt like I was selling a child but I knew it would be better for him. He was a Chocolate Palamino. Now, I'm actually hoping to find another horse of my own. I'm anxious to buy one but know that it takes time to find the right horse so we actually will be able to work as a pair when it comes to the equestrian games we have in the SCA. .... Patience has never been a virtue of mine, though ::blush::

I'll try my best to take pictures at Crown Tournament this weekend. Maybe I'll even have a picture of the stockings that will show some pretty decent progress. Keep your needles crossed!!

Nothing like a busy last few days! Friday, I worked then we all were released to make our drive down to Roswell for a conference. No, we didn't see any aliens. ::giggle:: We drove back home after the conference today so I'm more than a little pooped.

On the 2.5 hour drive Friday, I was able to get started on the Queen Elizabeth I stockings as I didn't want to be working with three different colors of yarn while traveling. Yes, I did do a bit of knitting during the conference, too. :) It helped keep me awake when the speaker started droning as they read their notes. Some people are just not meant to be public speakers.

The yarn for these stockings is 100% silk and is so very soft. There's really not much stretch to the yarn itself so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that my measurements and calculations are correct. The stockings aren't for me but for my friend, Emer, who made my MidWinter Feast dress that you can see in the December Archive.

Recently, there's been a discussion of bags we carry our knitting in. Here are pictures of my two:

This is the big bag that I use for sweaters. It's actually a gardening bag from Wal-Mart. The outside feels like coated canvas and the inside is waterproof. Sorta feels like a really heavy raincoat fabric.

There are plenty of pockets on the outside. I use the ones on the ends to carry my water bottles. Inside are six more pockets. Plenty of room to store things you need. It stands up by itself. The price couldn't be beat, either. $7.99 US.

This is my KnitKnackSack. Fantastic for small knitting projects like socks.
It's chocolate leather.

I sprung for the more expensive leather because I do things in the SCA and I wanted it to be something that might have actually been used in the late 1500's. Probably not but it works well to carry all the things that I use and need while wandering around the camping events. I am able to use it while wearing my SCA garb and can carry knitting, wallet, cell phone and tissues. I can wear it fastened around my waist so my hands are free to knit or to shop.

The pouch is lined with fabric and there is a pocket inside along with two thinner pockets great for tucking crochet hooks in for picking up dropped stitches and a pen. Two snap loops are in there, too but I haven't used them yet.

I use both these bags all the time.