Overdue thanks

The Christams Hampers made it out the door, thanks to everyone who contributed to make Christmas a little brighter for 2 families. They really appreciated our help. We'll do it again next year.


Christmas has come and gone in what can only be described as a blur. I cooked and cooked for days, we ate for hours and then it was done. Well that's not true then we opened gifts (mostly scarves and homemade wine) laughed ourselves silly and then it was done, for the Eve portion that is. We spent Christmas day with some friends and then P's son. It was a good 2 days. We are almost recovered, we have cleaned up most of the mess and will be eating leftovers for amny days to come.


I woke up to this on boxing day (the 26th), it was a day late but beautiful none the less. It inspired some good knitting though but I will save that for the next post as I have some new knitting books as well! lucky me.

Scarves anyone? The top one is handspun knit in boxes of 5x5 with a garter edges. The middle on is Lamb's Pride Chunky (unblocked) in my most standard scarf pattern adapted from one I got from Alchemy yarns. The last one is from my fabulous older sister who sent me a care package awhile back - it's fiber content is a mystery but I love it

close ups

I love these colours

and now that this one is blocking it looks much better

This is the last round of scarves, most of which are already wrapped and handed out but maybe I will get some pics of them on the recipients. Left to right - rose pima/tencel (lost the ball bands - nearly 2 balls in that standard pattern i mentioned earlier. Next some Noro silk garden just striped knit/purl but by rows instead of stitches. 3rd mohair blend - it came from my sisters stash and finally Paton Allure just in garter stitch. I am not a huge fan of novelty yarn but a small person likes pink and girly stuff, it fit the bill.

When I haven't been knitting I have been cooking for Christmas eve, I made perogies all day on Friday - some left the house as Christmas gifts and the rest are in the freezer awaiting Sunday evening. There is much cooking to be done, I love the traditions of Ukrainian Christmas Eve but it is a lot of work - we only have 10 or so people coming... not a huge crowd but big enough.

alive

We are both alive, one of us more than the other. P has been sick for a number of weeks and things sort of crashed down around last week when he was admitted to the hospital for 3 days. It was a long week but now he is home, medicated and on the mend. I am thankful that he is ok(now) and he assures me that he will NEVER let himself get that sick again. If he does I may have to kill before he has the chance to die of natural causes.

We had plans to have a fundraising tree cutting event this weekend,
we went ahead with it even though P was under the weather - we doped him and sat him in a chair with some hot apple cider while the rest of us cut trees, drank mulled wine and rememebered that Christmas is not as merry for some people as it is for us. The funds raised will go to make Christams brighter for 2 families here in the Ottawa valley who otherwise might not have anything this holiday season.


I would say based on the number of boots that it was a successful day... and P enjoyed the company after and long and lonely week, this didn't actually capture them all and a few folks had already left.

I have some knitting photos as well, sitting in the hospital provides ample knitting time but Ihave to get the camera, the card reader and the laptop all in the same place to make that work - the laptop and card reader are in the internet cafe with me and the camera is in the car... so no pictures for you. I have beeen on a scarf kick lately and have 4 finished (even blocked) and 2 almost done. Soon, honest and if you haven't seen it yet, go look at the new Knitty - I am in love with this, this and this one too - I was thinking of all the littel people in my world who would like them.

Oh and if you are bored and need a way to waste time go here, careful it is addictive

busy

Tons on the go this week and no time to get near a high speed connection to put some pics up. I have been knitting like a fiend and have a few FO's as well as a number of almost done projects.

Busy is good because it means that there is work - not tons but more than last year at this time.

Until the pics I leave you with this - stolen word for word from MamaCate

So there's this guy who's doing a panel at the MLA, and he's checking to see how a meme or, depending on how you look at it, a chain letter, moves through the blogosphere. We knitters have a rather populous corner of the blogosphere, and one that I think routinely buffaloes those who attempt to study blogs and blogging. Who are all these knitters and what do they want? (Wool.) If blogging is concerned with social change, what the hell are all these people doing talking about yarn? (We'll get back to you when the plans for world domination are available in pdf format.)
Anyway, Jody explains it all in a way that is far more interesting and complete than I have the patience for, but do please play. All you need to do is mention and link to the project, beg ask others to participate, and then ping technocrati. Let's show the MLA a little knitting mojo, eh?

See these boots, think about how high they usually come on ones leg. Can you picture it... good, that's how high the water was in my cellar yesterday. We have had a lot of rain lately and P. had the pump going on Thursday night and we thought that most of the water was gone and we were in the clear. On Friday he asked me to go down and check the door and make sure that everything was ok, I thought he was being a tad over cautious and went about my day. By the time I went to check, the water was up to the top of my boots it many places and there was a few spots that would of gone over the top. I hooked up the pump and called P, it pumped all afternoon and all night - it was a lot of water. Thankfully the furnace was fine, the water reached the furnace but it didn't make it all the way to the motor although it was close.

In other rubber news ( as opposed to fiber news) I played so me amazing games with rubber chickens on Thursday. i know it seems odd but the grade 1's thought it was the greatest. If you have kids and can lay your hands on a few I would suggest you make the investment - use them in any game you would usually use a ball, like hot potato, it will be a huge success

I am making progress on my UFO list. I seamed the sweater last night but I have to adjust the sleeves as they are pulling a bit and I am in the home strech on 2 of the scarves, just another few inches on each.

Have a good weekend I am off to a craft fair while I wait for P to finish his workshop - I have a few Christmas things to get and Sarah has table there, good reasons to go.

In fiber news

I have hit the point of no return... I have 2 many things on the go and am desperate to start some more. Wait - to many for me means that I don't have time to work on them all and therefore some are destined to be UFO's forever - every now and then I abandon something but usually I try to finish stuff even if it is not turning out the way that I want it to.

So on the go
- 3 scarves, one with handspun
- socks
- a sweater
- a bag
and I am desperate to cast on 2 blankets, a shawl and another sweater.

And don't even get me started on the sheep to hats/scarves/shawls (something) that I started awhile ago. I must take pictures as it is going well.

For your entertainment, Kitty antics - it is not captured nearly as well on film but it was hilarious to watch as they repeatedly leapt at the flies and fell off the ironing board



hmm there are flies in the light...

hmm maybe now that my sister is out of the way i can get at those flies

maybe if I'm careful...

I won't fall off like she did

I remembered

Thursday morning -

Got a call to work at 6:30 am
I remembered...
- the garbage had to go out
- the recycling needed to go out
- to put the dogs out
- to have a shower
- to get breakfast
- my knitting
- to get out the door to get to work on time

but I forgot my book and my camera! Who goes to a book signing without a book, so I had her sign my hand instead and have shamelessly stolen pictures from other peoples blogs.


Steph laughed at me, I can't imagine why.

It was a great night and I'm so glad I went. I met lots of great new folks and laughed so hard I cried - it was good.

Louise provided great pre-harlot entertainment

There were bloggers from L to R Lissa, Orris, Me, Nancy, Tara ( in the empty chair) and Heather. Behind us are Kathy, Mairi (she has a blog... somewhere) and Leanne

and lots of other knitters as well including Gillian on the left ( a new knitter who was not scared off by Louise and I) and Suzanne Atkinson - just to mention one pattern of hers.

Steph taking her blurry knitters are here photo

And Mairi, I just had to show the world at large what this fabulous knitter is up to this week. I love Mairi, she knits with us on Wednesdays and teaches classes at Yarn Forward, she is a fabulous fiber person ( a wonderful person, person as well) and the fact that Steph was also awestruck by her latest project made me feel good - I am am not alone in my Mairi awe! Mairi, let me say publicly that I am sorry if I embarrassed you by forcing the scarf out of your bag ( The scarf that she saw in Vogue knitting on Saturday and just went home and started to knit it without buying the magazine) but it really is amazing and the world needs to know.

P.S. C, Steph says thanks for making sure that we knew all knew she was coming here - for the rest of you my sister commented, phoned and emailed just to make sure I knew Steph was headed this way - she's good like that

Me again

Remember this

Well it is becoming a scarf and I am thrilled that the stripes are turning out as well as they are. It was my first attempt at spinning something with the intent of stripes, well the intent of anything actually

However my model is not as excited as I am and decided to leave before I could get a close up

And just in case you live here and aren't in the know, Steph is coming on Thursday, details here

As promised

It's funny, I just realised that I never post recipes even though I am constantly trying out new ones and adjusting others that I liked but didn't love - this is one of those type, I love it now that I have adjusted the proportions.

Indian Chick Peas (or Lentils)

1 19oz/540ml can of chick peas or lentils - rinse them well and then out them back in the can and fill it up with water.
1 large onion finely chopped
4 to 6 cloves of garlic minced
1/2 tsp freshly grated ginger
1/2 tsp salt - if you cook with salt
1/4 to 1/2 tsp of cayenne - the more you add the hotter it is.
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp tumeric
2 tsp cumin
juice of 1/2 a lemon

Heat a few tsps of olive oil in the bottom of a heavy frying pan ( I like cast iron as they hold the heat well)
Add the minced garlic and onion, saute for about 10 minutes over medium heat
Add the in all the spices and the lemon juice, saute for another minute or so.
Add the can of chick peas/lentils and allow to boil rapidly for a few minutes to reduce the liquid. Turn to low and simmer for at least 5 minutes, longer if you have time.

Serve over rice or rice noodles. Serves 2 big eaters or 3 smaller eaters.

Notes - Sometimes I double the recipe and add both chick peas and lentils.
- I use canned but you could use dry and add about 1/4 cup of water in place of the water in the can.
- I rinse the can contents well due to the amount of salt that is in the liquid they are canned in.
- This is not a "hot" curry, I can't eat really hot things but it is tasty. P. makes his hotter with pickled mango added on to his plate.

hmmm

I wanted to post some pictures of the kittens but the camera seems to of eaten them. I spent ages looking and now I have to go and make some food... perhaps I will post the mazing chikpea currythat I am going to make, I guess that means I will be back later.

Rhine -what...

Well as we all know I did not get to Rhinebeck this year, sad but true. It sounds like it was good and I must say that I'm more sad about the friends I could of seen then I am about the wool I could of bought. Alas life will go, I should is going on. I have been working everyday lately, great for the money but with both P and I working full time evenings and weekends are busy and my blog is suffering as a result. I took today off to catch up on a few important things and to apply for a job that I think wasn't really a job but was posted anyway - this is so often the way in the teaching world.

Aside from the ongoing job issues life is good. I spent a fun filled weekend in Toronto, there was no wool but it was a blast none the less. I went down to meet up with a group of friends from the Welcome Home ( a inner city mission in Winnipeg), they were people I lived with and worked with during an amazing time in my life. Anyway, we got together on Saturday and chatted about common people and friends and good times were had. I also got to stay with a few friends I just don't see enough of, it's sad they live in Toronto. We went to go and see "Little Miss Sunshine" and laughed so hard we were crying. Go see it if you can and if not rent the DVD - I can't explain why I laughed so hard... you need to see it.

And since I can't post without a little fiber related news


A picture of Tigger from our dying party ( I meant to post it earlier but forgot), that girl can spin!

My recently finished Jester hat, modeled by vintage Strawberry Shortcake doll that still blows strawberry kisses after 20 odd years.

I was inspired by this Knitty article, I took apart my rainbow sweater and felted it. It fits much better now and I just need to seam it back together.

Squatters

Jane Catz 00001
C.P. Cat Rescue Society

Jane Catz 00001
C.P. Cat Rescue Society

Jane Catz 00002
C.P. Cat Rescue Society

Jane Catz 00002
C.P. Cat Rescue Society.
Be it noted that the inmate refuses to participate in a profile shot

Food and water have been provided

Along with adequate amounts of playtime and artificial light

and human contact on occasion

The residents of the C.P Animal Rescue Society will be taken to there new home later this afternoon and normal downstairs bathroom usage will resume.

Ok it's a really crappy photo but I was alone and trying to take one so I could upload it. Why you might ask... because I cut off all my hair. I was growing it so I could donate it and I finally got the 10 inches I needed and could cut it off and still ahve a little hair left... so off it came.

and another dye picture, this is one of my favourites - it was like trying to heat up a lot of food at a big potluck - but it happened and then end results were fabulous. I had wanted to just add this picture to the last post but blogger is being dumb and won't let me add an image to an existing post.

Dye party Part I

Yes we gathered, we dyed yarn, we had fun. I have had a long week, some tough teaching days and now a pinched nerve in my neck. You get pictures but no captions. Jo ( whose link is in the post below) has another cute pic on her blog. The kittens were a success to say the very least and I don't want to hear about how mean I am for letting my cats kill mice - we live the country, we have mice - we got cats to deal with the mice.



In order to dye wool. wool must be in skiens... there was much winding going on.


Kool-Aid anyone, there was a lot of wool and sadly we ran out of some of the best colours of Kool-aid early on but we still got lots of great colours



Waiting to be baked. We did some in the oven and some in the microwave.

And then we also dyed a number of skiens in natural dye - we used golden rod and marigold flowers with alum as the mordant. It worked REALLY well.

Grren and blue kool-aid

More Kool-Aid drying.

Kittens were held

and held some more

Yes it is upside down, the yellow roving was from golden rod/marigolds. the rainbow and pink are Kool-Aid on merino that I got in CA last winter and on the end is cotton dyed in Rit dye - I ended up with 2 large hanks and I really like it. There was also some tye dying that went on of wool and clothes with Tigger but my camera died.

No snappy title today

Look what I found in the back seat of my car, yes that is a little baby snake - I was not impressed! It didn't want to leave either although with much encouragment it finally did

And for your amusement - A 100lb dog try to get her tennis ball out of a space that is 4 inches high - I had to help

Look another mess from Ikea

Did you know that if you spend enough money on their furniture you may be lucky enough to get this little tiny screwdriver in your package of bolts and such. It is virtually useless but cute none the less. I used a real tool for the job

there is nothing like a good electric scredriver when assembling

the island for your kitchen - Yipee the top went on today and it looks great. There will be more photos after the weekend, I am having a dye party. This lovely lady, this one, and this one, will all be here. There are others but they are blogless and this one is going to wedding in New Bruswick so she's not coming - but she's defintley the one missing out.