Proposals

Do you know how to knit but find yourself stuck with a mistake or question and have to wait for a knitting friend or go to a yarn store to fix it? Maybe you found a pattern you love but you need to change one thing to make it work for you. We'll gain confidence in fixing mistakes, understanding your knitting and set you free to adapt and design changes!

Your kitchen has things with sharp edges. If you aren't maintaining them actively, they're probably dull. Dull tools require more effort for the same cuts and are often unsafe. Want to fix 'em? It's easy. You probably already have the tools you need.You'll need a tool with a dull edge (usually knives or scissors), a factory-made ceramic mug with a smooth unglazed base (or ring around the base), a Sharpie, and some paper. Bonus points if you have a protractor and some cardboard, a leather belt, a "sharpening" steel, etc. I've taught basic sharpening a bunch of times at ESS, and several people have recently reached out asking me to teach it again. Seems like a lot of folks are spending more time in their kitchens than they used to, thanks to COVID-19, and it might be a good time to make sure your tools are sharp, safe, and ready to go. There are some ways in which this might actually be easier to teach at ESS_remote than at ESS_Wilmot, since people will be at home with their knives, etc., and can also point the camera directly at what they're doing.This workshop is based on the premise that, although sharpening tools really well relies on precision surfaces and abrasives, often uses custom-built jigs and fixtures, and demands rigid adherence to grit-staging, "good enough" sharpening is often a HUGE improvement over the default state of edged tools, and that good-enough sharpening rests on a foundation of use-whatcha-got and can-do mindset and aims for "better" rather than "perfect". This is a great approach if you're wanting to sharpen your chef's knife; less good if you're wanting to sharpen your scalpel, straight razor, or bagpipe reedmaking gouge.

I will bring some simulated sap that has been boiled to nearly syrup.  We will finish boiling it to syrup, using a hydrometer to determine when it is just the right density to be syrup. We will observe the increase in the boiling temperature as the density of the liquid increases.  Then, we will continue boiling some of it until it is dense enough to make maple candy.   We will have syrup and maple candy to sample and to share with others.

Have you ever wondered what was happening beneath your feet? Are you a fan of heat and pressure? Ever been lollygagging along a rock wall? Ever fallen and skinned your knee, but then didn't get up for an hour because you were so enamored with the shiny sharp object that had injured you and wanted to know everything about who it was, where it came from, and why it was so darn hard? Or have you just been curious about the beautiful folding syncline on I-90 west? If any of these things apply to you, check out my workshop where we will learn some of the secrets behind how rocks and minerals are formed, what they can tell us about the conditions under which they were created, you can learn to identify some basic minerals, and possibly do some interpretive dance related to the rock cycle.  There will be specimens to examine and take home.