Shear delight is the only way to describe our conversation with the wonderfully talented Christina Kading, who began her career as a second-generation sheep-shearer at the age of 8 ("I was born on top of a sheep!"). What's so hard about sheep shearing, you ask? First there are the kicking animals who don't necessarily want a woolcut, even though they have it growing out of their ears and eyeballs. Then there's the sheer physicality it demands, second only to jackhammering. And finally there's all the sexism, the men like Gary in Pennsylvania who didn't think Christina--a woman!--could shear his alpacas. Step aside, Gary, and let Christina Kading show you just how capable she is. She can do so much more than shear Gary's alpacas, though that alone would be enough--she's an accomplished artist, working in wood and wool, and a mixologist to boot. Try out Christina's recipes for a Jade Gimlet and an Espresso Martini--they are divine concoctions to warm up and refresh on a cold winter night (or day).

"Just because we are women, and we are gay, doesn't mean we are not capable of shearing an alpaca."

Christina Kading

We met Christina at Rhinebeck where she was selling her rugs, hand-made from the unwanted wool from her shearing. Her designs are wonderfully geometric and coincide with the wood tabletops she makes using pyrography, a technique of inscribing designs with fire. Her fascination with lines and shapes began in her high school math classes (as a way to avoid learning math), but that has blossomed into beautiful art informed by sacred geometry, the sense that we are all connected through universally shared lines, shapes and patterns.

We hope you enjoy our conversation with Christina as much as we did--we learned a lot, and it is true that "sheep-shearers are just irresistible. . . we just hypnotize people with our loving, gentle, sheep-shearing skills. I don't know what it is, but it gets them every time." So grab a Jade Gimlet or Espresso Martini and take a break from the holiday chaos to tune in for a great conversation with a fascinating artist and sheep-shearer!

Check out the Show Notes at www.bootieandbossy.com

We're back--we hope you missed us! And we brought scissors, and we are not afraid to use them in spatchcocking a turkey for Thanksgiving. "Spatchcocking?" You may well ask. It's not just a word for removing the spine of the turkey to make for a wonderfully evenly roasted bird in half the time--say goodbye to over-cooked, dry breasts and under-cooked thighs (the turkey's, that is). But it's more than that as chef, teacher and cookbook author Kim O'Donnel explains in "Spatchocking: A Culinary Term for Our Times." Written in 2022 after the overturning of Roe v. Wade, but perhaps even more resonant today, O'Donnel reflects on her own freedom to make choices that have shaped who she is.

"The right to decide allowed me to become the woman I am . . . The choices that were mine to make allowed me to forge my own path. They've given me the wisdom to know this: Without safe, legal abortion, this country is spatchcocked."

Kim O'Donnel, "Spatchcock: A Culinary Term for Our Times," Lulu Pork Chop, July 3, 2022

But what about Rhinebeck?! While other podcasters might broadcast live from the New York State Sheep and Wool Festival, we prefer to wallow in the womb of time and reflect on our experience for a month. What did we conclude? It wasn't just fun, it was joyously inspiring. We met so many designers and knitters we admire--Aimée Gille, Vincent Williams, Patty Lyons, Sarah Schira, Jamie Lomax, Bristol Ivy, Gigi Queen of Orange, the Grocery Girls and Rosann Fleischauer. What about Andrea Mowry? Don't worry, her pattern "Framed" clearly caught the collective fancy this year and was everywhere in all colors and sizes. It was magical to see so many people wearing hand-knit their framed garb on the hill for the meet-up.

​

Whether you have an abundance of tomatoes in your garden like Bossy, or bought them on sale at the market like Bootie, you will love this super simple and amazingly delicious recipe. It's great for those back to school nights when you need something fast. And if you prep everything in the morning (your future you will thank you for that), your kitchen will smell wonderful all day. The recipe for linguine with tomatoes and basil comes from the Silver Palate cookbook and we've made a few updates, as always.

​Our knitting in pop culture moment is brought to you by Gilmore Girls Season 7 Episode 9, "Knit, People, Knit." We loved how they really got the philosophy of knitting, (if not the mechanics) and the knitting puns had us in stitches ;-)

​Bootie and Bossy both have finished objects! Just in time for Rhinebeck!

Please check out our show notes at www.bootieandbossy.com