Last spring, when we were getting organized to move across the country and start our new adventure, I recall telling an acquaintance of our plans: "And we'll have several acres, with fruit orchards and pastures, and we'll raise fiber animals like alpacas and...." That's when she interrupted to declare enthusiastically that "Felted alpaca slippers are THE BEST thing." So I started looking into how to wet-felt, with the idea of making slippers from the copious amounts of alpaca

Part Two? What was Part One? I guess this story started several years ago, when I decided to replace some rotting timbers that formed retaining walls in our backyard. The pre-formed blocks--the ones with little lips on the bottom, so they stack securely--looked easy enough to use, and I figured that a middle-aged woman and four teen-agers should be able to do the work in a summer. We did in fact finish it, and the wall looked terrific, but it turned out to be a bigger job

We've been in this house nearly half a year, and we still haven't unpacked the kitchen equipment. We've been using the dishes from the China hutch, and scavenging through boxes for specific pans and appliances as needed. It's been awkward, but I've been planning a kitchen remodel since before we bought the house, and I didn't want to have to unpack the dishes only to repack them again for construction. So what's wrong with the kitchen? It looks nice enough, but I've gotten