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.

I really do knit, honest.

A "Jestertish hat" that I am sort of making up as I go along. I found a patern once and adapted it to make a hat for my niece but this one is just kinda happening as it goes. I am thinking about bells on the ends but that I might not be so popular withthe parents if I do that.

LOOK a sock, I am rather proud of this sock. It's toe up with a rather temporary cast off because I wanted to do picot but couldn't find the instructions and wanted to start the second sock before I lost my motivation so I just got it off the needles and started the second one. We'll see if I actually go back and do the picot cast off.

I have a few other things on the go as well - P's sweater ( yes still, it was on time out for the summer due to the heat) a few scarves and I was enabled yeaterday to buy some amazing alpaca lace weight for a shawl - but the alpaca was 400 meters for 7.50 - yes that's Canadian, is there a better deal about, I think not. So I have decided I must free up some needles before I cast onthe shawl but it is so calling my name, me the one who said I would never knit lace...

Just a little kitten cuteness to make the day a little brighter

got yarn

I've been spinning and spinning and spinning... this is roving I got in CA last winter, it took me ages to get through all of it but I finally have and i am rather pleased with the results. Notice that the wool is drying on the tub, the tub is in the bathroom and bathroom is FINISHED! - so is the kitchen floor. There will be more pics later I am off to pick through some fleece so I can wash it... and eventually get to spinning it.

kitchen floors

Our house is old, nothing is level and I am slowly being driven to insanity as I try to put the kitchen floor on to the not level surface that is the kitchen sub floor at the moment. I am not a happy girl... I think we are eating out tonight!

Fridays

Not to much to report here on the farm, I don't even have any cute pictures. It's quiet now that school has started and I am not working yet - yes I am still without my own classroom and looking at another year of supply teaching. I am not thrilled to say the very least but I comforted to know that I am not the only one and that heaps of folks are looking for/hoping for classrooms as well.

On a brighter not I have spent lots of time in the kitchen recently and been making lots of tasty, J friendly foods. Last weekend we had people over for dinner and I made some great Thai food for supper, there were also some cherry perogies for dinner one night and today I am making individual size pavlova with fruit and chocolate for a pot luck tonight. I love good food.
FYI If you are GF like me check out this great blog Recipes from a [ Gluten Free] Goddess , well even if you aren't GF you will probably like her stuff, it all looks so good.

It knitting news... I finished my first sock ( well not really my 1st but the 1st one that I will wear) and have cast on for the mate. I am working on a few other things but the socks are winning in the what shall I work on tonight battle.

Not to much else to say, have a good weekend and as soon as those socks are done there will be a picture. Oh and I helped out Shelba on her post for Self Potrait Challenge, go have a look there are some really great pictures up this week.

Introducing

Kieran



and Freud


both of whom need to learn that my knitting basket is not a place to play!

 

Excuse me, you have the wrong number!

So last night while P and I are enjoying a lovely meal (on a patio, 1 of our last chances I imagine) my cell phone rings. I answer it and it is someone looking for someone who is not me. I tell him he has the wrong number and hang up, the guy calls 2 more time and I ignore it thinking that if he gets my voicemail he will figure our that he has the wrong number.

This morning my cell phone rings again - it's him and he wants to confirm that I ordered a taxi to take me to the airport. His English wasn't so great and I asked him where he was calling from but he just kept telling me I texted him for a taxi to the airport. I finally hung up and P. traced the number on the computer, guess where he was calling from Puerto Rico. I am sure he is going to be thrilled when he gets his phone bill.

In other news my new kittens are adorable, there will be pictures when P brings the card reader home from work

I recently checked out the recent searches on Stat Counter and I had a good laugh. Here's a few of the best ones, ( I should of posted this on Tuesday because now some of the best ones have moved off the list) I wonder what they think when my blog comes up on their search results page.

1. birds, flowers and all the other stuff in asia

2. apples and bananas lyrics and who wrote it

3. bryant street theater

Well hello there,

Yes, I know - 2 weeks was up a week ago. I am a bad blogger. I've had a great month though and happy report that as summer draws to a close all is well in my end of the world.

Our wedding party went off without a hitch, it was a beautiful day and it seems as though everyone had a lovely time. Our weeks of house guests went well and I did get the house together enough that there were enough beds and space for all the people. I have some pictures but they aren't on my laptop so it will have to wait for another day.

In other news, I signed up for the Favorite Color Swap at the last minute and I was spoiled rotten. I can not even begin top tell you how in awe I was of all the great treats that Ann (let me know your blog address) sent me. There is some amazing wool including Treking sock and Lorna's Lace and lots of great treats to feed my butterfly addiction and for the kitchen as well. I can't say thank you enough for her generosity.

I am off to deliver some more resumes ( I really need full time work this year) and then pick up the newest members of the family... they are cute and there is 2 of them.