text:
tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-137507942017-06-26T13:45:51.850-04:00 Jersey Knitter roundabout Exit 151Inahttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-13750794.post-30961098809663680982017-05-30T06:39:00.002-04:002017-05-30T06:42:23.164-04:00What They Were ThinkingIt's been a cool and soggy Memorial Day weekend roundabout Exit 151, and I don't mean the uproar over a certain sportswriter's selective unease about the Indy 500 winner or the pushback to a certain First Blogger's let-them-eat-cake recipe. No, no, fluff-filled brain that I have, the observation is merely meteorological – the weekend was cool and rainy.

In between the raindrops I managed to visit the Presby Iris Gardens, which lived up to their nickname, A Rainbow on the Hill. And there were plenty of buds, so the display should remain lovely for at least another week.

Gentle readers may recall that last month's quick pickled asparagus disappeared fast, which prompted me to put up the shelf-stable version for the May FIJ challenge, cold pack. This time I used Marisa McClellan's recipe for Pickled Asparagus Spears, put up in 12-oz jelly jars. Compared with the quick pickle, the processed version (unsurprisingly) is wrinkled and softer, although not as overcooked as commercial canned asparagus, and the extra heat infused the brine with the color of the red pepper flakes. There was some siphoning, nothing too distressing, and the yield was perfect. All good, except it turns out the happy hope of preserving spring bounty was mostly foiled by the insatiable munching jaws at casa Jersey Knitter. As fast as the asparagus is prepared, just so quickly it disappears! That's mostly gratifying, only slightly frustrating.

Somehow Sock Madness 11 has managed to reach Round 5, leaving me far, far behind, even for a patterns-only non-competitor. After a personal best last year, there are too many distractions this year! And my wandering attention has wandered to June Camp Loopy (and the Tour de Fleece 2017). Here's my yarn for camp, Cascade Ultra Pima. I'm wavering (again) on the pattern. This year's theme is dinosaurs; I've been assigned to Camp Stegosaurus. Although my dino totem is a Velociraptor. Perhaps that bodes well for fierce and fleet knitting? Surely it doesn't signify much frogging and shredding?

Alas, cruel reality intrudes on these pleasant knitting musings: I expect to be crazy-busy in June (and traveling on the day of the TdF Grand Départ, July 1). What am I thinking???

Inahttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-13750794.post-4709578583921654652017-04-20T06:31:00.000-04:002017-04-20T06:31:13.394-04:00Easy Refrigerator Pickled AsparagusA tale of the quick and the slow.
The April FIJ Challenge is quick pickles, also known as refrigerator pickles as they are not canned and must be stored in the fridge (rather than on the shelf). Given nice asparagus is so plentiful in the markets these days and DH and I just planted some crowns in the fine hope of picking our own in a year or two, it seemed like good practice to try this recipe: Easy Refrigerator Pickled Asparagus.

It was a hit. From the cook's perspective, the recipe is indeed easy. There's photographic evidence, barely, of the results – this quart jar used to be full. Apparently the quick in quick pickles refers to more than just the speed with which they can be prepared. The asparagus pickles disappeared so fast, I didn't even hear the happy chomping. The only clue was an off-hand observation that the pickle flavor got stronger as time went by.

Aficionados of quick pickles claim they are brighter-tasting and crisper than their processed analogs, and can be put up in smaller batches. Considerable virtues indeed, although as my refrigerator space is limited I can't say they outweigh the value of preserving large quantities of the harvest in a shelf-stable way. Not to mention that when the happy chompers realized this, they began agitating for canned pickled asparagus in increasingly louder and grumpier tones. Also for tweaks to the pickling spices. Oh my.

Much of the fun, and value, of the can-along is seeing what others make. I'm enamored of the many examples of pickled hard-boiled eggs that triumphantly graced Easter sideboards in multi-colored splendor... but the once-happy, then agitated chompers at casa Jersey Knitter turned positively revolting at the prospect. Something about how HB eggs are a perfect food that must be spared hideous adulterants. Well, except for a bit of salt... or soy sauce... or mayonnaise... then there's potato salad... and HB eggs and gravlax (I made more gravlax)....

It's enough to drive a cook to slow knitting.

While the rest of Sock Madness charges along (Round 2 ends today!), I've been working on the second sock of the qualifying pattern, Twisted Madness. Slowly, because the pattern stitch makes my wrists hurt. Yet slow progress is still progress, and will do for now.
Inahttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-13750794.post-67337929521452759502017-04-01T20:51:00.000-04:002017-04-02T00:16:44.234-04:00Lent SocksHappy April Fool's Day! This is a post-factum post, a catch-all catch-up, and it would seem the joke's on me. In true Seussical fashion, after I made shrub (also known as drinking vinegar or switchel) for the March FIJ Challenge (jellies and shrubs), I started seeing it here and there, I started seeing it everywhere. I saw it at an Asian supermarket (the signs say it's a healthy drink)...

... in a deli refrigerator case...

... and at the Tait Farm Foods booth at the Philadelphia Flower Show. They were giving away samples, which tasted predominantly of fruit, sweet and tart, with that sour-funky vinegar flavor only at the finish. Quite nice, very refreshing. I bought a few bottles for research purposes.

Alas, after much judicious sampling I have decided shrub just isn't my thing. I can see why some FIJ Challenge participants match a mix of 3 parts red wine vinegar and 1 part balsamic vinegar with strawberries or Braggs apple cider vinegar with citrus, pairings that would not have occurred to me before. So I'm happy to have expanded my palate and learned something new, even if I don't think I'll re-visit the topic. It does tug at my imagination, though, in ways that soup base does not.

Speaking of re-visiting topics, one February Sockdown category was repeats, so I knit another pair of lovely Embossed Leaves by Mona Schmidt, this one in Opal Uni-Solid, 2600 Purple. They're the liturgically correct color for Lent, and they're finished, although one day past the Sockdown deadline. Oh well. I tweaked the pattern a very little: substituted 2x2 ribbing, varied the pattern by a half-drop, fiddled with the star toe for fit. Otherwise, it's a beautiful and truly repeat-worthy pattern!

For a second March FIJ Challenge project I made Wine and Herb Jelly by Cathy Barrow, using a Riesling Auslese instead of the Gewürtztraminer specified in the recipe. It was easy, pretty, and tasty, with a nice soft set and excellent yield; something to do at a time of year when there's not much fresh local fruit roundabout Exit 151. I put a sprig of thyme in the jars for decoration, but think the wine jelly would be equally good without it. The Auslese has such a luscious peach flavor, I suspect it might make an extra-luxurious and flavorful base for pepper jelly.

Obviously I'm having a lot of fun with the challenges. I'm particularly appreciative of the expertise and creativity of other participants, which leads to a phenomenon familiar from knitting: so many great recipes, too little time. It turns out almost anything can be made into jelly! Among the many recipes I'd like to try someday: Stout Beer Jelly, Grape Juice Jelly, Jalapeño-Confetti Jelly (in Preserving with Pomona's Pectin). As I don't much care for the massive quantities of sugar in so many traditional jelly recipes, I'd very much like to try Pomona's pectin, which would allow me to reduce the amount of sugar and let the fruit flavors shine.

I was down to one small jar of January's blood orange marmalade, so I made more. The January batch was rose-gold, but the March batch turned out ruby red. They taste about the same. Huh. I put up this batch in three 4-oz and three 8-oz jars to suit the excellent marmalade cake recipe – pity I don't have any 10-oz jars. Hm.
Inahttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-13750794.post-34803202931382297642017-03-16T20:44:00.000-04:002017-03-16T20:47:57.555-04:00March Ado About SnowTuesday, Pi Day, was a snow day roundabout Exit 151. It was a typical March snowstorm, heavier than snow earlier in the winter, and it shut everything down. Fortunately, I had obtained turkey and stuffing pie and bangers and mash pie from The Pie Store a day ahead, so was very well-provisioned for the day's festivities. Unfortunately, DH was so grumpy and hungry after shoveling snow that there are no pie pix, just glowing reviews of both.

In between shoveling snow and feeding Hungry Man I mixed up a batch of Blueberry Ginger Shrub for the March Food in Jars Challenge (jellies and shrubs), using the cold process technique outlined by Michael Dietsch on Serious Eats. Stir, let sit in the fridge, sample. I'd never tried shrub before, which is an old-fangled blend of vinegar, fruit, and sugar, and I have learned something important. Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, boasts (Act 5, Scene 1, and what a scene it is):

Woo't drink up eisel [vinegar], eat a crocodile?
I'll do it.
Not me. Shrub and the drinks based on same are not to my taste. The concoction is not meant to be drunk straight, but rather mixed with one's favorite mixer and an optional splash of booze for an old-is-new-again cocktail. I tried ginger ale and still found the mix overly acetic, YMMV. It did help the fruit flavors to let the drink breathe and come to room temperature, which makes sense for something originally developed pre-refrigeration. But, I'll pass on this one.

I'm also going to pass on Sock Madness 11. Sadly, between too much travel and a qualifier's pattern that made my wrists hurt, this is as far as I had gotten as of 2:45 pm EDT today. One sock, with counting thread and a long tail at the toe because I knit to specs but plan to undo the star toe and substitute my preferred wedge toe. That means I qualified for patterns, but not for competition... which may be the best for my sanity and my wrists!

Tomorrow I'm away again. Alas, the tales of my away adventures are piling up and I'm too busy/lazy to set them in order. Must try to address that soon.
Inahttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-13750794.post-10121708417030255422017-02-18T12:59:00.000-05:002017-02-18T15:02:43.905-05:00Mark Bittman's GravlaxThe Food In Jars salt challenge is so wide-ranging, I had to try another recipe. Gravlax, or salt-cured salmon, seemed a natural. There's not much to say – I followed Mark Bittman's Gravlax recipe, using some techniques mentioned in the comprehensively informative Serious Eats recipe and essay, and a 2:1 salt:sugar dry brine. The required effort was minimal; some space in the fridge was needed. The results are excellent, luxuriously yummy.

For this recipe the most important comments have to do with food safety. Salmon sometimes carries parasites that can affect humans, so the fish MUST be sushi-grade, that is, commercially frozen to render it suitable for consuming raw. And as this type of salt-curing is a fleeting preservation method, the gravlax MUST be eaten within five days of finishing its cure. Given the wide availability of "previously frozen fish" and the tastyness of gravlax, both safety requirements are easily satisfied.

Bittman's recipe says a 3-lb (1.36 kg) piece of salmon will yield 12 appetizer servings. A quarter-pound per person initially sounds outlandish, but it does seem most people if given half a chance will happily gorge on this stuff until surfeited, so the part that's mistaken is calling this an appetizer. At casa Jersey Knitter, there were suspicious mutterings when the curing salmon first appeared in the refrigerator, hogging so much shelf space, followed by impatient mutterings as it underwent its three-day cure, then more suspicion ("You try it first, and if you don't keel over..."), a sudden change of heart after that first amazing taste, then the soft noises of very contented feeding.

A bonus happiness is I used some of the overly salty vegetable bouillon to wash the raw salmon as described in the Serious Eats recipe. I was wondering what to do with it! We ate the gravlax with my own pickled nasturtium pods, which are similar to pickled capers, except they taste like pickled nasturtium pods (duh), flowery-mustardy-cresslike. I really must put up more... which means planting more.

I am definitely making more gravlax. I'd like to try the basic recipe with other fish, substitute shiso, an Asian pickling herb, for dill, tweak the dry brine mix. I used gin for the booze, which added a nice juniper berry note, and wonder what adding juniper berries to the rub will do. Mmm... so many things to try.

Meanwhile, fibery progress continues. I'm wishing I had a not-too-big stainless steel mixing bowl. They don't have much appeal as mixing bowls for me, but for craft purposes they're da bomb. Hm.
Inahttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-13750794.post-6901815661793533882017-02-16T13:36:00.000-05:002017-02-16T15:41:03.123-05:00Vegetable Broth BaseThis is a tale of two soup bases. Two, because this is the best of times and the worst of times – my first effort was not satisfactory. But I persisted and got it almost right the second time, yay me and yay the February Food in Jars Mastery Challenge, salt preserving, for prompting me to try something new.

I'll start with a clerihew and a stock photo (::groan::).

Sir Humphrey Davy
abominated gravy.
He lived in the odium
of having discovered sodium.
Sodium being one component of table salt, chemically, sodium chloride or NaCl.

Generally when I make soup stock, cauldron work and/or the pressure cooker is involved. I'm not a big fan of using commercially prepared bouillon cubes or mixes because the flavors seem fresher and truer and I can control the amount of salt and other additives when I make homemade stock. By contrast DH loves bouillon because he loves its salt and convenience. Shrug. (The photo below shows the mise en place, or culinary setup, for chicken bone broth. I dunno why I didn't take a pic of soup base in progress or, for that matter, why I took this food prep photo. I have enough trouble remembering to take fiber WIP photos.)

Attempt the first at vegetable soup base was Homemade Vegetable Bouillon. The recipe calls for 7 ounces (200 g) of salt to make one quart (almost one liter) of soup base, which makes 48 quarts of vegetable broth. The recipe yield was spot on. The soup base initially smelled very harsh and bitter, but within a day mellowed. Unfortunately, the resulting broth was so excessively salty, it could be used as an emetic. At least the colorful confetti-like bits of ground-up vegetable grit and the occasional peppercorn look rather festive floating in the pale broth.

Attempt the second was Vegetable Broth Base. In striking contrast to Attempt the first, this recipe calls for two tablespoons (20 g) of NaCl to make one pint (0.47 liter) of soup base, which makes 8 quarts of vegetable broth. The yield for this recipe was also spot on. This soup base smelled much more appealing than the first, without the bitter odors. The resulting broth is dark and turbid...

... but when strained as suggested is quite nice in both appearance and taste. The need to strain the broth makes me want to try it in a teabag, an experiment for next time. Out of curiosity I tried steeping the strained sediment a second time as if it were tea leaves, which didn't really work. Not only had all the salt dissolved in the first steeping, but most of the vegetable flavor as well.

As I want a strong vegetable stock and am not fond of heavily salted food or liquid, the second recipe is the clear winner, YMMV. Both recipes call for a similar amount of vegetables; the first uses far more salt but also makes more broth. When diluted for serving the first broth is 1.6 times saltier than the second and has a less pronounced vegetable flavor. So Attempt the second it is. Were I to make the second recipe again, I'd reduce the amount of soy sauce, which contributes additional sodium (even if one uses low-sodium soy sauce), color, and a fermented soy flavor that to my palate is overly dominant in the final broth. Soy sauce can also be an unexpected source of gluten, which of course is problematic for those following GF diets.

Sad to say, soup base itself is not particularly photogenic. At its best it bears an unfortunate resemblance to the poo emoji (click if you dare). The commercial versions as well. After all, one starts with lovely fresh whole veggies and ends with unlovely paste. Ah, the photographic challenges posed by purees. Speaking of which, I imagine it might be possible to make soup base by hand, but I would never have attempted it without a food processor. The paste is sufficiently salty that it can be stored in the freezer, yet never freeze solid.

Back in the world of fibery sausage-making, I bought an I-cord mill and have been cranking out I-cord. The gadget is a little finicky about yarn (not too thick, not too fuzzy, not low twist), but works well. Which is good, because science.

To be continued!
Inahttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-13750794.post-75618307585880653272017-02-10T06:42:00.000-05:002017-02-10T06:42:08.799-05:00Snow DayYesterday's snow day was spent – what else? – shoveling snow, cooking, and knitting. On the shoveling side, the snow was powdery broken flakes because of the strong winds. We got a good seven inches, a surprise after the dry and warm weather of most of this winter.

On the cooking side, I used January's blood orange marmalade to make Nigella Lawson's richly fragrant Pantry-Shelf Orange-Chocolate Cake (in How to Be a Domestic Goddess and also scattered around the web). It's easy to mix up, appealingly lumpy from the marmalade peel (the lumps look a bit like raisins), and super sweet and sticky good. Here's the elevation view.

Apparently the cake is so named because every proper British household has the necessary on hand at all times. The author suggests making it after a trying day and eating it in front of the television instead of dinner. I like the cake, but think the sugar load of a dinner-sized portion would render me comatose. Next time, I'd reduce or even eliminate the sugar – the marmalade is sweet enough – and consider substituting cocoa for the chocolate for a lighter cake. Like many chocolate cakes, this one went from too damp in the center when tested with a skewer to scorched on the bottom and sides very quickly. The scorched parts were hard and bitter at first, but unexpectedly absorbed moisture and flavor from the rest of the cake and became soft and interesting. Huh.

In the struggle to get a decent photo of the cake, I discovered that to get a nice elevation view of a slice, one needs to push it off-center on the plate, as revealed in the plan view. Another huh.

The marmalade cake was not the only cooking going on. For the February FIJ Challenge (salt), I made soup base. It seems to be vaguely trendy, a mix of vegetables and salt ground to a paste, ready to be used like bouillion cubes or miso paste. Alas, that effort turned out to be such a disaster it requires its own blog post to do justice to the enormity of fail. To be continued, sigh.

As consolation I knit a bit on a shortie sock I started on Inauguration Day, Send in the Clowns by Adrienne Fong, using recycled Ballooney yarn. The symbolism? Why ever do you ask? It's entirely coincidence, coincidence I tell you, that I stopped knitting this colorway eight years ago and am recycling it now. Unsurprisingly, the yarn flashed strongly at the gusset, chili red on on side...

... and lime green on the other.

I was thinking about putting tabi toes on the sock. On a boat red is port (left) and green is starboard (right), so were this sock a boat, it should be a left sock. Does that make sense? No? I'm too tired from shoveling snow to explain. Then there's the knotty question of what to do should the second sock flash in the same way as the first. Not that has ever happened, but still.
Inahttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-13750794.post-34967895916674110512017-01-25T06:08:00.000-05:002017-01-25T06:08:17.008-05:00Small Batch Blood Orange MarmaladeOver the weekend I went to DC – not for the Inauguration of course, for the Women's March on Washington. But more on that in a later post. On my return, instead of sorting my march photos I cooked up another batch of marmalade for the January FIJ Mastery Challenge. While I liked my first effort, it seemed to me if the challenge is about mastery, then by definition a second attempt would be needed. This time I took a few more photos.

I used Marisa's Small Batch Blood Orange Marmalade recipe, which calls for soaking sliced fruit overnight to soften the peels and to encourage the pith to release its pectin. Because I wanted to use the marmalade in a recipe, Orange Marmalade Cake, that calls for coarse-cut peel, I made thick slices. Some blood oranges have deep purple flesh; mine had flecks of dark color, no more. After soaking overnight the overall color evened out and became pinky-orange.

After reading laments by other FIJ Challenge participants, it occurred to me that my thermometer may not be calibrated properly, something I've never tested. So I was very careful this time to note the volume in the pot at the start. The goal was to boil the fruit until volume is reduced by one-half. So I boiled...

... and boiled (stirring to prevent sticking) until the blood orange slices looked quite wilted. The flesh of the oranges melted away, enriching the syrup and leaving the now-tender peels.

My thermometer never went over 210° F (the standard is 220° F for two minutes), but it became clear the pectin was working pretty much when the volume in the pot was reduced by half. I tried the spoon test and the plate test, which didn't give unambiguous results, but somehow the hot marmalade just looked right, which may be one expression of expertise. There are no photos of this stage because there was much rapid flailing of implements in boiling hot sugar-fruit mixture. By the time the marmalade was in jars and ready for processing, it looked like the set was good – and so it was.

This time the yield was spot-on: three half-pints, or in my case six quarter-pints, plus a cook's share. The product was so tasty that one of the quarter-pints didn't make it to the class photo, and the flavor has only improved since then. It's hard to tell from the FO photos, but there are flecks of red amid the rose-gold marmalade, which is not what I would have expected, but is very appealing. And wouldn't you know it, having tried both it turns out I prefer julienned peel to coarse-cut. Although I haven't yet made the cake, so perhaps that may change (again).

Overall, I would say that while there remain many, many marmalade recipes to explore, marmalade success has been achieved, and I can move on to the February challenge without reservations.
Inahttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-13750794.post-28139810305304970552017-01-12T22:43:00.000-05:002017-01-13T15:33:25.884-05:00General Tso's MarmaladeOn the Asian lunar calendar 2017 is the Year of the Rooster (technically starting on January 28). Over the summer I took this pic of a giant blue rooster to have to show off now-ish, but I didn't record and can't remember any details, which rather limits commentary. Ah well, Happy New Year!

Apropos of the new year and in tribute to the recently departed Peng Chang-kuei, creator of General Tso's chicken, and for the Food in Jars Mastery Challenge (January is marmalade), I put up a half-batch of what I'm calling General Tso's marmalade. I love its deep orange color and intense orange flavor.

This was my first attempt at making marmalade. I blithely tweaked the original recipe which calls for Tabasco sauce by subbing red pepper flakes for a more Hunan-style flavor. Because it's a cut rind recipe, which eliminates much of the natural pectin in citrus, I was concerned about overly soft set and instead misjudged its done-ness, even with the aid of a thermometer. The set turned out so hard, the marmalade stays in place even if the jar is inverted. Oops. Initially the cook's share had very little fire, but as time passes it's getting hotter and hotter! Next time, I'd cut the peel into bigger pieces than the fine julienne I used this time, include more pith, and work for a softer set and corresponding higher yield.

The plan is to use the marmalade as a meat glaze. I tried the cook's share on lamb chops and like the flavor better than mint jelly. That texture, though, and the challenge of prising it out of the jar. Happily, the Food in Jars can-along community has suggestions (no crowbar needed!) – gentle warming in a water bath softens the marmalade nicely. The group also has historical perspective: in the Middle Ages, hard set was the standard. So my marmalade isn't too hard, it's medieval! Er, maybe that's not entirely positive either?

I'm not very fond of marmalade, or perhaps I should say I haven't been. Now that I've concentrated and preserved the essence of orange I will readily agree with Maggie Smith as the trenchantly snobbish Constance, Countess of Trentham, in Gosford Park: "Bought marmalade? Oh dear, I call that very feeble." Homemade is so much better than anything storebought that I've tried, there's truly no comparison.
Inahttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-13750794.post-57619010544327915512016-12-31T21:59:00.000-05:002017-01-03T02:50:08.634-05:00Ends with a WhimperAs sometimes happens at year-end, I came down with the flu. While this one is not the worst ever, it's been a doozy with the full complement of extreme fatigue and weakness, head and body aches, joint pain, fever, chills, and heavy cough – a fitting closeout to a dumpster fire of a year. For fellow US peeps and indeed globally it may well be that the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 were a greater national tragedy and the financial meltdown of September 2008 a greater threat to economic stability and well-being. But 2016 was chock full of its own exceptional stinkiness. So between periods of blank misery, I made a dumpster fire ornament and put it on my Christmas tree. Of course.

DH claims it's not a proper dumpster because it lacks a lid; ergo, it's not a dumpster fire but a mere fire in a box. Everyone's a critic.

At least this year's knitting went reasonably well. I had a decent 10th anniversary Sock Madness – I advanced to Round 4, a personal best, then missed a spot in Round 5 by 35 minutes. That translates to a modicum of glory, a quartet of lovely socks: SlipStripeSpiral, Rose & Thorn Socks, Waimakariri, Sweet Nuttins.

Camp Loopy 2016 was similarly gratifying, not least because I knit my first skirt. Dunno why it took me so long – I love knitted skirts – nor why I still haven't taken a decent FO photo. The same could be said for my Tour de Fleece spinning – I fractal-spun some truly lovely fiber, yet have largely been ignoring it.

At year end, the Singleton Socks of Shame collectively form a bright ray – in 2016, one sock came down from the clothesline of shame, none went up for a total of seven Socks of Shame. That's tied with 2011, 2012, and 2014 for the minimum.

Singleton Socks of Shame 2016, left to right, oldest to newest: Meadowlands, Fawkes, Julesokker, Love Me Knot, Chain Link, Hanauma Bay, handspun Queen of Diamonds.
That'll just have to do. Onward to 2017!Inahttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-13750794.post-89510416244993599142016-12-17T23:02:00.000-05:002016-12-18T03:26:41.226-05:00What's New, PussyHat?With the holidaze well upon us roundabout Exit 151, there hasn't been much time for knitting or blogging (cough) at casa Jersey Knitter beyond the occasional row for the PussyHat Project. But, today is a snow day, so after shoveling and errands I fixed some tasty beverages and settled in for a little wordsmithing. (Note: these whiskey sours are not all for me.)

Ah! I do love a classic cocktail with lots of fruit. Citrus and Maraschino cherries, yes please. Mmm.

It should scarcely surprise gentle readers that I'm getting my marching boots ready for the Women's March on Washington, January 21, 2017, despite some misgivings. Or that part of the preparations include knitting PussyHats for myself and others. Here's progress so far: first one done, second in progress.

The pattern by Kat Coyle is simplicity itself. I prefer its suggestion of cat ears; others have been pinching the top corners of the hat to make the effect more explicit. PussyHat 1 is knit in the round with a three-needle BO, which results in a speedy knit with minimal seaming. I'm not sure I like the depth of the hat or the seam at the top, so PussyHat 2, in progress, will have the ribbing knit in the round and the crown knit in rows and seamed. We'll see if the fuss is worth it.

It's troubling to add the intersection of women's rights and knitting is becoming an increasingly familiar place as the progress made within my own lifetime gets ground away. Suffice to say that for me, fuss in this area is definitely worth it, and I'm looking forward to marching.
Inahttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-13750794.post-22900709264038334122016-11-23T12:33:00.000-05:002016-11-23T15:38:48.066-05:00Observer EffectsWhilst reviewing my blog stats, I was surprised to see traffic has tripled over the usual, both on new posts and on old posts. Uh, wow. Hello, gentle readers! Thank you for looking around so thoroughly. I hope you're enjoying what you see – and do come again.

The sense of being observed does rather act as a spur to blogging, at least for me. So, gentle readers, here's how far I got on my Morning Walk, which was my project for the Fall Sweater Challenge.

Alas, the verb was is operative. At this point it became apparent there is Not Enough Yarn to complete the project. Further, the lovely yarn, BMFA Targhee Worsted, colorway Vine Ripened Red, is produced in a way that each batch is essentially a one-off. I could order more, but there's little likelihood the new yarn and the old yarn would be compatible – sometimes artisinal yarn from the same dyelot doesn't match, let alone from different batches. When one has been there, done that, there's no need to repeat the experience. Sigh. To the frog pond we go.

Pity. I love the yarn, just need to recondition it and find a more suitable pattern pairing.

Meanwhile, it's the Thanksgiving holiday weekend in the U.S., which is also the traditional start of the winter holiday season of shopping, gift-giving, year-end parties, family gatherings, and religious observances. So let me wish gentle readers a bountiful and blessed T-Day, and see you on the other side.
Inahttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-13750794.post-35583542573539635702016-11-18T22:56:00.000-05:002016-11-19T04:02:44.870-05:00OutcomesIn case you missed it, the U.S. had a General Election for president and other offices last week on Tuesday, November 8. I was in NYC on Monday to have dinner with my sister, and we meandered over to Rockefeller Center, which was crazy-resplendent with flags, bunting, lights projected on the buildings and the skating rink, and tent-like outdoor broadcast booths and cameras on booms all set up in preparation for the next day. The vibe seemed hectic, even a bit hellish to me, but my sister loved it.

Election Day was a beautiful, mild day roundabout Exit 151 and indeed across the country = no excuses for not getting to the polls. Heavy turnout usually favors Democrats, yet there were two whispers of trouble ahead for the Democratic candidate for president. My polling place is in the sapphire blue bellybutton of New Jersey and while there was a line to vote, turnout was noticeably less than in 2008. And one voter in line began talking very loudly and unpleasantly about exclusionary voter ID laws, generally a Republican issue, often with racist overtones. Hindsight is 20/20, and in retrospect that seems a presage of what was to come.

Maybe there was a third sign: I baked a patriotic confetti cake, and it was awful. In more skilled hands or to other palates it might have been acceptable (a master cake baker I'm not), but to me the cake was overly sweet from the candy sprinkles, with an overly soft, almost gooey, collapsing center. A metaphor, perhaps.

Tuesday evening as the polls closed and the voting returns trickled in it became increasingly clear the opinion polls predicting a landslide victory for Hillary Clinton and a chance to flip the Senate to the Democrats had been stunningly wrong. Reflecting the confusion, Wednesday's print NY Times had one headline, while their website had another. In the sober light of morning, it turned out Republican Donald Trump had prevailed by carrying the Electoral College but not winning the popular vote. Trump was president-elect, and his party retained control of both houses of Congress and a majority of governorships and state houses, and is poised to appoint the majority in the Supreme Court.

In the ten days since the election, I finally finished my Debate Socks, knit in Blue Moon Fiber Arts Super Sparkle, colorway Star Speckled Skein. Amazing to relate, the 8% Lurex content is not only adorable, but also comfortable, not scratchy at all. Now that's a win-win.

Round town there's been some trouble with ugly winners, which in some cases has taken on a life of its own. Notably, after a small business near the train station was defaced by graffiti expressing coarse pro-Trump sentiments, some children painted it over with a cheery mural, which was again vandalized. Rinse, repeat, repeat, repeat. The sixth iteration is pictured below.

It was defaced as well. But this time the vandals did not get away with it. Train commuters had noticed the mural would be fine through the evening commute, but would be marked up by the morning commute. So the business owner and a buddy camped out overnight, spotted two older adults in the very act, and called police, who made the arrest.

There have been other upsets, so there's going to be a community march and vigil tomorrow afternoon from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m., starting at the main library and ending at the WW1 memorial. I have tickets for a show with an 8:00 o'clock curtain, but I'll go for a while. It's important. To be continued....
Inahttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-13750794.post-38132884317610976872016-10-19T06:20:00.000-04:002016-10-19T06:47:31.444-04:00Event HorizonWhen last I blogged I was looking forward to watching the first presidential candidate debate. Somehow since then the VP candidate debate, the second presidential candidate debate, and Rhinebeck have all flown by – this evening is the third and final presidential candidate debate at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Along the way things have only gotten stranger and stranger, falling deeper and deeper into the rabbit hole of cynicism and paranoia to the point where serious writers in serious publications can talk about one candidate as Demogorgon. At least I have a singleton sock to show for all the time spent away from blogging.

As before, I'm not one for liveblogging, but I'll be ready tonight with favorite beverages, nibbles, and debate bingo. And as always, see you on the other side.
Inahttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-13750794.post-31782688966792413872016-09-26T15:32:00.001-04:002016-09-26T15:48:27.592-04:00Debate SocksMy plan for this evening is to watch the first presidential candidate debate – available in the U.S. and globally on broadcast and cable TV, online, and even in virtual reality – and to knit debate socks. I got yarn expressly for the occasion, BMFA Super Sparkle, colorway Stars Speckled Skein. It's red, white, and blue shot with silver sparkles, and I love it.

It's expected the debate will be both widely and closely watched in the U.S. and around the world, with TV ratings comparable to the Super Bowl, the most colossal of all U.S. sporting events, and with far more profound consequences. Stock markets around the world are down in advance of the debate, reflecting concerns about the outcome. For all that, a fizzy sports rally atmosphere would seem to prevail at the site of the debate, Hofstra University in Hempstead, NY.

I'm not going to try liveblogging the debate, but such a momentous occasion calls for at least a sock update at the close of the day, and perhaps a bit of commentary. So, gentle readers, happy viewing wherever you may be or not if you so choose, and in any case see you on the other side.
Inahttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-13750794.post-29450766838022437402016-09-25T23:07:00.000-04:002016-09-26T02:10:33.352-04:00Finally FallishIt still looks much like summer roundabout Exit 151, but fallish temperatures arrived over the weekend. Suddenly my Morning Walk gauge swatch for #FallSweaterChallenge begins to have just the right amount of anticipation.

With a bit of finger-blocking, the gauge of the swatch is spot on. But rather than block the swatch properly, I'm going to tink it and cast on. While #gaugematters, as per usual I'm that worried about not having Enough Yarn. (I'm also wondering about who thought up that particular hashtag. Jeepers.)

Meanwhile, a last bit of summer goodness arrived over the weekend: my bonus yarn for completing three months of Camp Loopy 2016 projects (to recap, that's 3 Color Cashmere Cowl in June, Simple Straight Skirt in July, and Sabine in August). Thanks to the moderators, elves, and my fellow pirate campers, it was one of the easiest and most congenial KALs I've ever participated in, and the yarny incentive surely doesn't hurt. There was a choice of three – I selected Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock dyed in an exclusive colorway, Color in the Clouds. I love, love, love its funfetti cake speckles!

There was an unexpected additional loyalty incentive in my parcel: a Loopy Groupie drawstring project bag, Loopy Legends yarn, and sweets.

I ordered something to keep my bonus yarn company – alas, that got mixed up, but is in the process of being set right. Still, color me a happy summer camper and (hopefully) soon to be well on my way into fall knitting.
Inahttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-13750794.post-68227159357884660762016-09-22T12:42:00.000-04:002016-09-22T13:47:17.581-04:00Destination: VestHappy Equinox! Summer temperatures and humidity may linger, but the days are getting noticeably shorter roundabout Exit 151. With Mercury the communicator going direct, it seems only fitting to post a post.

Planetary matters are on my mind today not least because last Friday hometown hero Buzz Aldrin, resplendent in a Destination: Mars T-shirt, was in town. He was third in his class at West Point, was a fighter pilot, holds a PhD from MIT, and is one of the first humans to walk on the moon and is among the first humans to successfully complete a space walk.

In his honor the middle school he attended was rededicated as Buzz Aldrin Middle School. Appropriately, it's a STEM school.

There were many speeches and reminiscences, Buzz led a rousing (?) cheer, and the local bakeshop made astronaut cookies.

Foolishly, I forgot to wear something suitably geeky-patriotic to the ceremony (I have a NASA T-shirt somewhere) and to bring a hat, a bottle of water, and a U.S. flag and so paid the consequences. I may have been unprepared, but others came ready. I saw one well-equipped couple using wire cutters to help themselves to the event posters fastened to the school fence! Aiya.

Woe and alas, that fun Friday segued into a nervous weekend in the NY/NJ region. The current story is a single suspect is responsible for homemade bombs that exploded Saturday morning in Seaside Park and Saturday evening in Chelsea and for a pressure cooker bomb found in Chelsea and five pipe bombs found in Elizabeth later that evening. The manhunt included an ill-advised cell phone alert and, after a shoot out and chase, the capture alive of the suspect. Most people reacted calmly and responsibly, a few not so much. The NJ beaches re-opened, life goes on – albeit a bit more nervously.

At the beginning of this month I signed up for the Fall Sweater Challenge. I assiduously read about the sponsors and how to get points, joined the FSC Ravelry group, selected a pattern, and ordered yarn. And then waited... patiently....

Sigh. Some participants started their projects in August.

It may be crystal clear to others, but I don't quite comprehend the pash of have and have-not hashtags for #FallSweaterChallenge. The hashtags are worth points and the points are worth prizes, although some things worth points don't seem to have a hashtag, and other things that have hashtags don't seem to be worth points. There were supposed to be participant numbers but somewhere along the way the participant numbers got dropped. Same thing with deadlines. Ah well, here goes.

I selected a designated designer pattern, Morning Walk vest by Becky Herrick, and joined the #MorningWalkKAL.

#ipickedyarn: My yarn arrived smelling strongly of vinegar, which made me worry the dye was not fully stable, often a problem with shades of red. So I gave it a bath to rinse out any excess dye. The yarn is #BMFA Targhee Worsted in colorway Vine Ripened Red, shown with some Jersey tomatoes for comparison.

One of the early stated goals of FSC was to flood Rhinebeck with FOs. Oh all right, despite my feeble launch I'll give it a go. Next steps, swatching and beyond to Destination: Vest!
Inahttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-13750794.post-25288581141817086192016-09-07T06:50:00.000-04:002016-09-07T06:50:06.916-04:00Another WrapThe month of August has fleeted away with only one blog post, backwards progress from two in July. Aiya! It's a new month, time for another wrap, verily, a wrap sweater. Behold Sabine by Julie Weisenberger, worked in Shibui Knits Linen, colorway 2032 Field. Here's the front of the cardigan.

As per usual with Cocoknits patterns, Sabine is well-written, enjoyable to knit, and the results are delightful. The pattern calls for Superior, a luxurious cashmere/silk/merino blend, but is equally lovely and considerably cooler in chainette Linen. I'm a sucker for out-of-the-ordinary yarn – Linen sometimes made crinkling sounds when still in the skein, but it softened considerably with handling or in humid weather. The knit fabric blocked easily and drapes beautifully. Here's a view of the back of the cardigan.

My only lament is how long it took to start and finish the sweater, my August Camp Loopy project. Initially I swatched and cast on for Hitofude, then realized I really want a Hitofude in a different color. I tried double-dipping with the 2016 Ravellenic Games, but was DNF, shorthand for the other frustrations of my frustrating August. At least I finished the cardi before the end of August, although I posted its photo to the Camp Loopy gallery so late, I'm still waiting to learn if it beat the September 1 deadline.

Other than that quibble (which is more about my schedule than the sweater), I'm very pleased. I wanted a transitional piece, a cardigan in a rich autumn color yet a breezy summer fiber for those fall days when the school year/program year has begun anew but the weather is still sticky. Summer clothes no longer seem to match the increased formality and tempo of the season, and heavy fall fabrics are completely unbearable. Enter Linen Sabine – perfection in cardigan form.
Inahttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-13750794.post-80401363100678172342016-08-04T23:31:00.000-04:002016-08-05T00:37:54.992-04:00July Wrap UpJuly was alternately so miserably hot and so torrentially rainy and there was so much negative stuff going on off the blog that the month seemed interminably longer than usual. And then it was over without any blogging. Well, let me catch up with an interminably long wrap up post.

At first I balked at writing this and wanted to insert various qualifiers, but on reflection this year's Tour de Fleece was a success, unqualified. I accomplished my goal of finishing a half-braid of fiber using a new-to-me technique, sampled a luscious new-to-me fiber, and spun another sample using another new-to-me technique. All cause for happiness and satisfaction, but it's only in retrospect that this has sunk in.

The half-braid of Gale's Art Polwarth, colorway Sweetness and Light, turned into 297 yds (271 m) of fractal-spun 2-ply with 63 yd (57 m) of plied-against-itself 2-ply left over. I was surprised by the way the colors of the fractal-spun aligned – there were far more sections of solid color and far fewer sections of barberpole than generally occur in random spinning. I'm curious to see how the yarn will knit up.

The luxurious Victory Farm Paco-Vicuña also was a surprise. I had expected the downy-feeling fiber would be difficult to spin, so spun it July 9, one of the challenge days. It turned out the lovely fiber spun so easily and beautifully the only challenge was stopping with a 12-yd (11-m) sample skein. The results remind me of baby camel – I'm going to have to rummage through my stash to find that sample skein and compare the two.

While I'm glad I tried ply on the fly and I'm pleased with the end product, I did find the three steps forward, two steps back process more time-consuming than I like. There's 52 yds (47 m) of ply on the fly and 72 yds (65 m) of ordinary 2-ply spun from Zarzuela's Fibers SW Merino, colorway Santa's Coming! pictured below. Unsurprisingly, the ply on the fly has long segments of pure color while the ordinary 2-ply has delightful barberpole effects. I do rather like the barberpole effects. Somewhat surprisingly, the POTF felt like a crepe yarn while it was getting its finishing bath, a difference I don't notice when it's dry.

At some point in the spinning action, the hook on my (apparently camera-shy) birdseye maple Bosworth got bent, which of course made it spin eccentrically. I was afraid I might have to send it back to Journeywheel for repairs, but was able to straighten it out with (padded) heavy pliers. Whew! I love my Bossies – the longer I spin, the more I prefer them. Indeed, while mousing around the Journeywheel website, I noticed this beauty, a 30 g pau amarillo midi...

... and clicked. A new bright yellow spindle, reminiscent of the Maillot Jaune, seemed a fitting conclusion to my TdF.

Having watched the Republican National Convention, of course I watched the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia. Inspired by the most moving speech of the convention, I made myself a pocket U.S. Constitution. As my puny stapler can't possibly secure so many sheets of paper (mighty in thickness however small in size), I sewed the pages together.

I also blocked and seamed my July Camp Loopy project, Simple Straight Skirt by Churchmouse Yarns and Teas, knit in Cascade 220 colorway 4002 Jet. I dislike finishing, but also hate to see anything less than the full effect. In this case, mattress stitch seams.

Blocking, seaming, and the addition of waistband elastic transformed the skirt from a vaguely skirt-shaped lumpy mass into an honest-to-goodness skirt that fits perfectly. What an excellent pattern – well-written and perfect results. I don't know why I've had such a mental block about knitting skirts, but now I want to Knit All the Skirts! It's too hot right now to comfortably model a wool skirt, I'll have to remember to do that when it cools down.

Last but not least, another singleton sock came down from the Clothesline of Shame, Clouds by Rebecca A., worked in Regia Design Line by Kaffe Fasset, colorway 4261 Landscape Caribbean. A fun pattern and a fun yarn, it's just everything that intervened that made it take so long to finish the pair. One sock uses wrap and turn short rows, the other uses Japanese short rows.

Now it's on to the Ravellenic Games 2016. I needed some jollying along – the antipathy I've harbored against the Sports Event That Shall Not Be Named has only increased in two years, and the multiple hazards of the host country and my own general state of blah were formidable obstacles. Sometime this week that turned around (hence the need to wrap up July). I've joined Team Loopy 2016 and Team BBMF 2016 (rated M), and am ready for the Mass Cast on tomorrow!
Inahttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-13750794.post-53103597777582114312016-07-22T05:46:00.000-04:002016-08-05T00:49:09.899-04:00Another Week That WasAnother week, another tragedy. Sigh. To cheer myself up from the horror, I retreated to the pleasant fantasy that is the Tour de Fleece and attempted ply-on-the-fly...

... using a bit of leftover Zarzuela's Fibers SW Merino, colorway Santa's Coming!

It took me a while to get used to the three steps forward, two steps back process. So far I like the result well enough, not as sure about the process. I'm going to suspend judgment and spin a bit more.

To pass the time while watching the Republican National Convention in Cleveland, I started my July Camp Loopy project, Simple Straight Skirt by Churchmouse Yarns and Teas. Soon I had half a skirt. Much to my surprise, it resembled a reasonable facsimile of a skirt. I'm not sure why I should be surprised, but I am.

Unhappily, the bad news just kept on coming. During the RNC I received word that a beloved friend and mentor passed away suddenly. Which officially makes this a Rough Patch. Sigh.
Inahttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-13750794.post-2999305692540500252016-07-09T16:43:00.001-04:002016-07-09T16:50:59.705-04:00The Week That WasIt's been a sad, sad, sad week of gun violence across the U.S. Each incident has been more dreadful than the last, culminating in the horror of a bomb robot used to kill a mass shooter who targeted police.

In difficult times, I knit. For Summer of Socks 2016 I finished By the Seine River by Dona Knits, worked in Regia Design Line Jazz Color by Erika Knight, colorway 6454 Kind of Blue. It was an easy, fun knit that really should have been finished much sooner.

And I spin. Project 1 for the Tour de Fleece 2016 is to finish a half-braid of Gale's Art Polwarth, colorway Sweetness & Light. At the beginning of the week it looked like this.

At the end of the week it looked like this. I randomly spun the first half of the braid, but fractal-spun the second half. The broad strip is on the left spindle, the thin strips are on the right spindle. I'm going to let the singles rest before plying them.

Today is one of the tough mountain stages for the TdF. Chilly llamas on the road are a possible additional hazard. I think I must spin up some of my paco-vicuña in their honor.Inahttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-13750794.post-32882866118377492912016-06-30T19:47:00.000-04:002016-07-01T21:50:19.180-04:00Prosperous VoyageOn the last day of the month my June Camp Loopy ship has safely come in: behold my 3 Color not-Cashmere Cowl by Joji Locatelli, blocked and styled as inspired by stashmaven.

The kindly mods in the Lace Lagoon thread indicated June projects need only be done, and do not require blocking, but I have an aversion to rumpled FOs, especially rumpled lace FOs. At casa Jersey Knitter, blocking is not optional.

That's so much better!

The pattern is simple and well-written – an easy, straightforward, fun knit. As always for me, the challenge is finding sufficient time and motivation to knit. I opted to change the ribbing and not "correct" the jogs at the end of rounds as I find the jogs endearing, the fixes not so much. For the BO I used Jeny's Surprisingly Stretchy BO, but on reflection I kinda wish I'd used a tubular CO and BO for something so close to the face. The interesting alpaca-cotton yarn, Manos del Uruguay Serena, shares many of the best traits of each constituent fiber. I thought it might bloom alpaca-like after washing, but instead it retained the crisp stitch definition of cotton. It should prove to be a comfortable three-season cowl when cowl season comes around.

As long as I was emulating others, I struck a pose similar to the designer's. Let me tell you, it was hot in there!

Suffice to say that as a fashion photog, I'm no threat to Richard Avedon, recently in the news.

Overall, I enjoyed the first month of my first year at Camp Loopy and the company of great mods and congenial fellow-campers. Initially I wasn't sure I wanted to go camping all summer, but June was so pleasant, I'm getting ready for my July project, Simple Straight Skirt by Churchmouse Yarns and Teas, using Cascade 220, colorway 4002 Jet. I'm assigned to Gold Pirates.

The July theme is Buried Treasure, that is, a long-queued or long-desired project. I've always wanted to knit a skirt, but somehow never have. Hopefully this is the year!
Inahttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-13750794.post-79117432392927808022016-06-27T11:10:00.000-04:002016-06-27T11:31:50.855-04:00Yarn the MovieThe raffia bag is finished, except for FO photos. Remiss of me, I know, but I've been in an uncharacteristic hurry to finish the bag and take it on adventures. It went on its first adventure on Friday, to see the movie Yarn at the IFC Theater in NYC. Here's the official trailer:

I arrived a little early, so had plenty of time to take the semi-obligatory photo of the theater marquee. The theater is in NYC's Greenwich Village – if gentle readers recognize the location, you know how hard it was to get such an unobstructed shot.

That accomplished, I rambled off to Washington Square Park to enjoy the nice summer afternoon. The light was lovely on the Arch, and the park was full of – dare one say thronged with? – people chilling and doing their respective things. ^ Being arch.

Whilst I was drinking in the atmosphere, a mini Pride march went by in advance of the main event Sunday. However small it was in numbers, nonetheless it was complete with signs, banners, flags, chanting, musical instruments, singing, marchers of all shapes, sizes, and ages, and even a serendipitous rainbow in the fountain. It was fabulous. I love NYC.

I love the movie too. It's an enjoyable summer flick – light, diverting, even film-festival-y. It features self-consciously poetic narration by Barbara Kingsolver and equally lyrical images of mostly crochet works by artist-activists Tinna Thorudottir Thorvaldar, Olek, Tilde Björfors, and Toshiko Horiuchi MacAdam. Next to seeing the various artworks and the reactions to them, I especially enjoyed seeing the various processes of construction and installation and how one large installation was frogged (zip!). I was pleased to see how generous one of the artists was in encouraging her collaborators to speak. There was scant exploration of various assertions about the boundaries between art and craft and between artistic and utilitarian, the value or devaluing of women's work, and misogyny in the world of commercial fine arts – or rather, they were presented as self-evident yet radical truths. So film-festival-y.

The Friday evening screening included Q&A with director Una Lorenzen moderated by Vogue Knitting editor Trisha Malcolm (on the left and the right in the photo below – sorry about the blur and the giant head).

The session was enlivened by a disruptive appearance from the audience by Olek, who declined an invitation to come forward to speak and who (eventually) said she liked the movie. Dunno what that was about, but a whiff of controversy is so very film-festival-y! Una mentioned she'd like to make more movies about yarn artists, a wish that was warmly received. Trisha promised to post additional information on the VK Facebook page.

Overall, I'm glad I saw the movie and would recommend it. Plus it was nice to be with and to chat amiably with fellow crafters. The current screening schedule is online – hope you can make one.
Inahttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-13750794.post-82731645737255638452016-06-20T06:16:00.000-04:002016-06-20T06:16:01.188-04:00Sumer IcumminHappy Summer Solstice (Northern Hemisphere)! Every year when summer rolls around I find myself craving a smart new straw tote bag. The trusty old and worn canvas tote bags that got me through the fall and winter just won't do. I'd not considered make-your-own, but inspired by knitcole's Rafia Tote Bag, this year desire became a weaving project, with raffia and citrus-y colors and pirates. I must admit the project came together when I saw the whimsical fabric I picked for the bag lining, Robert Kauffman Message in a Bottle, designed by Suzy Ultman.

For the warp I used Just Our Yarn Aziza, 5/2 100% Tencel, in pretty variegated lemonade and limeade tones, part of my MDS&W loot. It's lovely stuff, also very slinky. I didn't attempt to wind it into a ball, but dressed the loom with the yarn still as a hank, which is why the remainder pictured below is in a (now much smaller) hank.

Dressing the loom took me three days and about 367 yds (336 m) of warp. There were the usual sorts of interruptions and delays, not to mention I find the process tedious in the extreme. Some people say it's meditative. After the dreadful news last week I needed something meditative, but for me this wasn't it. Strange that I'm a process knitter, but an impatient weaver. I tend to think of my woven FOs as intermediate items, precursors for sewing projects. Maybe that's why I don't think to take many pix of my loom or weaving-in-progress (sorry).

For the weft I used Morex Ribbon 100% Rayon raffia. The entire spool, 110 yds (100 m), fit on my stick shuttle in a loose rustling mass. There was lots of aural stimulation, unusual for fiber projects! I wove a few inches before realizing the raffia is a skinny cord when it comes off the spool...

... but it can be spread into a broad flat ribbon.

The fabric looks and drapes much better with the raffia woven in the form of a spread ribbon rather than an unspread cord – the cord is stiff and unstable as weft while the ribbon scrunches down nicely when beaten lightly. I thought about unwinding the shuttle, spreading the raffia, then re-winding the shuttle, but decided it worked better to keep the shuttle wound with rustling raffia cord and to spread only enough for a pic at a time. More tedium. Oh well, I'm happy with the results.

The straw bag is shaping well! To be continued....Inahttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-13750794.post-91962687946400316982016-06-15T23:03:00.000-04:002016-06-18T05:29:38.146-04:00Bridge of SighsThis evening I attended a community vigil for victims of the mass shooting at an Orlando gay nightclub. It was quietly moving, thoughtfully inclusive, and carefully apolitical. The mayor was one of the speakers, but there was no speechifying. There were prayers and singing (not "We Shall Overcome," thank goodness), and many sighs too deep for words.

This is not to say there isn't a lot that could be said and should be said and must be said, and much to do. It's simply this was a time and a place for condolences and mourning and gathering with people of my town, and I'm glad I went.Inahttp://firstname.lastname@example.com


text: Sorry I've been absent lately. I've been busy trying to find work for the summer. I did have a gig lined up to do caricatures, but I'm not sure if that's happening anymore or what's going on there. I'm also taking a few summer courses at school as well. I'm learning Maya, which has been going well. I drew this yesterday and inked it today. I might color it up. This is Misty Coat's character Sayda. I want to draw some more of my friends characters and stuff like that this summer. I think it'll be fun. If anyone has any requests for characters that they'd want to see let me know.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Outlook Mark Carney seems determined to make a noise, and despite an economic backdrop which appears to give him and his colleagues on the Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee only limited room for manoeuvre, he's surely done it.
His announcement that the historically low interest rates won't move until UK unemployment is down to 7 per cent, and that could take three years or more, was hailed by organisations ranging from the British Chambers of Commerce to the TUC.
They'll be very pleased in Number 11 Downing Street too. George Osborne, the Chancellor, knows he really needs to be able to demonstrate the economy is showing more than tentative signs of recovery if he wants to extend his stay there. Mr Carney may have improved his chances: no longer are monetary policymakers focused on reining in inflation regardless of how many people lose their jobs as a result. Now we're going for growth. Hooray!
At least up to a point. Mr Carney's bold move isn't quite as bold as it looks. While it is important as a statement of intent – and he seems to have quietly moved the inflation target up to 2.5 per cent from 2 per cent without actually saying so – there's nothing binding here.
He's pretty sure that the UK has enough spare capacity to create lots of new jobs – 750,000 will be required to hit his target – without really putting the wind into price rises but he's also made it clear that if the inflationary beast bears its claws he will act. Moreover, while that's a lot of jobs, the US is targeting an even more ambitious 6.5 per cent unemployment before its rates will be raised.
Mr Carney's move is still welcome. However, to ensure that some of the risks economists (who as a breed are almost as cynical as journalists) were warning about are mitigated it may require some joined-up thinking.
One of the benefits of his long-term interest rate policy is it provides businesses, and consumers, with a clear indication of the direction of travel to inform their decisions.
We might hope, therefore, that businesses will be moved to invest some of the cash they've been sitting on. We need to hope consumers don't party too hard.
The TUC has identified one troubling trend behind the recent upbeat economic statistics which have contributed to an impression that Britain is emerging from its long, sullen, economic malaise.
Much of the revival in consumer spending, evidenced by the buoyant July figures from the British Retail Consortium, has been driven by Britons raiding their savings. And perhaps, indulging in credit.
Consumers spending again; that has broadly been hailed as a good thing. But for the economy's long-term health, it would be better if they took the advantage of low rates to pay off some of the vast store of consumer debt that weighs on the minds of some economists and eschewed the temptation to leverage up.
Mr Carney can help by having a word with the Prudential Regulatory Authority (run by the Bank) and the Financial Conduct Authority. They need to ensure that banks, with their newly fat capital buffers, cleaner balance sheets and cheap money on offer to fund mortgages, check their customers can afford the debt when rates do start to rise. Or we'll be heading for trouble again.
- More about:
- Banking
- Chambers Of Commerce
- Consumer Issues
- Inflation
- Investment
- Prudential Plc
- Retail
- Savings
- Unemployment


text:
Current Members
Robert Davis
Robert Davis' professional interests involve various Engineering, Design and Manufacturing businesses in the UK and the USA. Robert is also Non-Executive Director of Bristol Water.
Membership is by invitation to men and women who are prominent in the business and commercial life of the greater Bristol area, and who are prepared to give their time and skills in support of the Merchant Venturers' objectives.
All the members meet together four times a year at what is known as Quarterly Hall, and again on Charter Day in November.
The Merchant Venturers are governed by the Master and two Wardens. They head a 15-strong Standing Committee of members who are elected annually on Charter Day, 10th November.
Day-to-day administration is carried out by the Treasurer, who is effectively the chief executive. He is advised as necessary by the Clerk, who is a lawyer.


text:
202 Kookaburra Lodge
- 1 Bedrooms
- 1 Bathrooms
About This Property
Centrally located one bedroom condo in the heart of "Canada's Alpine Village" and Canada's second largest ski area. Kookaburra Lodge is a concrete building designed with efficiency in mind. Easy care exterior finishes such as stucco, hardy plank and powder coated aluminum, together with LED lighting, irrigation system for planters, efficient boiler for hot water throughout the building and fewer common amenities are all designed to keep strata fees low. With a full kitchen, electric fireplace, steam shower, heated underground parking space and convenient ski locker, this fully furnished mountain home is ready for full time or recreational use. Directly across the street from the new NHL sized skating rink with ice plant, tennis courts and pool. Restaurants, shopping and year round entertainment are just outside your door. Call for an appointment to view. GST is applicable.
Request More Information
Presented By
- Liz Forster
- Elevator
- Fireplace
- Furnished
- Golf
- Jogging/Bike Path
- Laundry
- Mountain
- Mountain
- Open Floor Plan
- Parking
- Ski Property
- Skiing
Property Facts
- 496 ft2 / 46.08 m2 - Living space
- 8 Approximate Age
- $304 Monthly Condo Fees
- $1,278 Taxes Municipal 2016


text:
** This slow cooker chicken chili is full of flavor, but easy on prep-time!
It seems like there are a lot of women around me that are having new babies lately, and that always brings forth memories of when your own children were teeny tiny newborns.
I think the first time I ever had White Chicken Chili was just after I brought my second baby home from the hospital. Some ladies from church came over with a giant pot of it, along with all the toppings, and served me up a giant bowl while I laid out on the couch. They then proceeded to snuggle my daughter, wash my dishes, fold some laundry, and helped me feel just a little bit more human again.
I don't know if it was the exhaustion or what, but it was the most magical soup I have ever tasted and I have thought about it for the past three years. It only seemed fitting that I finally recreate it and take it to some of the mamas around me who are just bringing their own babies home.
Normally when it comes to making chili, I just dump things into the pot - it always turns out a little different, but its always good. I like that this white chicken chili is also good for just dumping - its very easy and mindless to prep, and the crock pot does all the work for you!
yield: 8 servings
Crock Pot White Chicken Chili
prep time: 10 MINScook time: total time: 10 mins
- 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 4 oz can chopped green chilies
- 30 oz great northern beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 shallot, finely diced
- 1 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1/2 tsp oregano
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/4 tsp chili powder
- juice of 1 lime
- 4 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 1/4 cup flour
- 1/4 cup milk
- 3/4 cup frozen white and yellow sweet corn
- toppings: sliced green onions, shredded monterrey jack cheese, tortilla strips, sour cream, avocado
- In a crock pot, add the chicken, green chilis, rinsed beans, shallot, spices, garlic, lime juice and broth into the crock pot. Secure the lid and cook on low for 6-8 hours. 30 minutes before serving, mix the flour and milk into a paste, and add it with the corn into the crock pot. Shred the chicken with a fork and allow to cook for an additional 30 minutes. Serve with toppings!
Created using The Recipes Generator
I'm linking up with the Ultimate Recipe Challenge for this month's Crock Pot Challenge! See all the other awesome crock pot recipes here: