Needle Felting

As if I needed a new craft. I've been hooked on needle felting for the last few months. (pun intended.) Needle felting is best described as sculpting with wool. You use roving which is the term for wool before it's spun into yarn, and then you use a special needle that has teeny-tiny barbs on the end to poke and sculpt the wool into shapes. Wool on a microscopic level also has barbs, so the more you poke the wool the tighter the wool inter-locks together. Cool huh? :)

- Check out this youtube videos to see this how this is done: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y8JYOhxHLXI&feature=related

- For those of you in the Los Angeles area. The Urban Craft Center offers a fabulous needle felting class for $25. (The also have sewing and yarn spinning classes. I heart this store.) http://www.theurbancraftcenter.com/

Here are a few of my recent projects:
Mini-Lex

Mom's Christmas Bunny

project from The Urban Craft Center class

Favorite Food #1: J-Dubs Chilli

First up in the Favorite Foods series: J-Dubs Chili. I know everyone has their own special chili recipe. I've been tweaking mine over the last few years and it's just right for me. I use a bottle of beer and a few cubes of sharp cheddar to some depth of flavor and to cut down the spicy a bit.

Ingredients:
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 lrg onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 ½ lbs ground chuck or lean ground beef
salt to taste
¼ tsp cayenne pepper
¼ tsp dried oregano
¼ tsp ground cumin
1 ½ - 2 tbsp chili powder
2 (10oz) cans Rotel Tomatoes
1 (8oz) can tomato sauce
2 (16oz) cans red kidney beans, undrained
½ to 1 beer (optional, I like to use an amber ale or lager)
1-2 oz shredded cheddar cheese

Instructions:
In large pot heat oil, med high heat.
Add onion and garlic, sauté until they just beginning to turn brown.
Add meat stirring to break up lumps, cook until brown
Drain off fat and put back in pot
Add salt and next 4 ingredients, stir
Add tomatoes, sauce, beans, and beer
Stir well and bring to a simmer
Add cheese and stir
Simmer for ½ hour uncovered and 1 ½ hour covered, stir occasionally
(if becomes too thick, add tomato juice)