Monday, November 29, 2010

Turkey Pot Pie and Finished Socks

The last of the turkey has been consumed in a yummy pot pie.  Since Pat can't eat gluten, I made it with a mashed potato topping.  I had just enough potatoes left on the shelf.  I think it came out quite tasty and have added this to my winter menu selections.  I can use the same recipe and substitute beef or chicken too for variety.

My Mongolfiera a/k/a Mystery Socks are finished.  The heel actually does fit the back of my foot. I was sitting in my recliner, and when I moved, they slid down a bit against my blanket.

Friday, November 26, 2010

Turkey Day is Finished, A Little Knitting Time

The Thanksgiving Day Feast was well received and enjoyed.  I have lots of left overs even after giving some to my brother-in-law.  The pumpkin ginger snap mousse was a success.  It is very rich so a little is plenty.  The dishes are done, out of the dishwasher, and the kitchen is restored to order.  It still has the lingering smell of roasted turkey.  Mmmm.  It's a nice smell. :)

I managed to get some knitting done on my sock 2 of the mystery sock pair.  Then the turkey nap struck for about an hour and a half.  A couple more rows were knit later.  About 20 rows total were completed which was much less than I had planned.  I was hoping to get the heel flap and heel turn done today. Oh well.  They will be done by tomorrow.

Now it's time for bed.  I'm not braving the masses tomorrow for Black Friday this year.  Since I don't need anything, I'm going to sleep in.  Happy shopping to all who endeavor to make the trip in the morning.

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Happy Thanksgiving 2010

I've already started cooking a couple things for tomorrow's meal.  The cranberry sauce and Pumpkin Ginger Snap Mousse are made.  There are 2 versions of the mousse.  One is gluten free for Pat and one is regular for Paul and myself.

The turkey and all the trimmings will get cooked tomorrow.  I'm actually keeping it pretty simple since there are only 3 of us for dinner.

Of course, Thanksgiving isn't only about the feast.  It's our day to reflect and be thankful for the good people and things we have in our lives.

- I'm thankful for my husband, Pat.
- I'm thankful for my friends.
- I'm thankful for my retirement.
- I'm thankful for my warm home, food on my table, clothes on my back.
- I'm thankful for my fiber pursuits.
- I'm thankful for my health issues improving since earlier in the year.

What are you thankful for this year?

Sunday, November 21, 2010

Mystery Sock Knitting, Spinning More Junebug

As of last night, I am caught up on the clues for my mystery sock.  The fourth clue comes out on Monday. 

Do you remember Junebug's fleece I was spinning in July?  It wasn't all spun at that time.  I've been spinning some colored/dyed fleece lately.  Tonight, I hope to work on Junebug and get at least a bobbin of singles done.

Thursday, November 18, 2010

November Mystery Sock and a Late Night

I'm a bit late starting this, but I wanted to finish the beaded scarf.  I'm trying to be semi-monogamous in my knitting lately.  So last night saw the cast on of the November Mystery Sock from the Solid Socks group on Ravelry.  You are suppose to use solid or semi solid yarns in this group, so I'm knitting it in Wooly Wonka Fibers in the "Tide Pool" colorway.  It is a very light bluish green semi-solid although in the picture it looks like there are blue and green sections.  It really isn't variegated.  It's 100% Merino and I love how this yarn feels.  I have had it in the stash for a couple years after getting it from a de-stash on Ravelry.  Of course, it's now discontinued so I can't get any more.  :( 

I sat and knit on the sock, finishing clue 1.  I wasn't paying attention to the clock.  Thinking it was about 2 a.m. (my usual late night bedtime) I packed up.  When I looked at the clock it was 4 a.m.!  I was up at 9 so it will be a very early night tonight. lol



Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Finishing Projects

This week saw the finishing of my beaded scarf.  I had to finagle the graft so it would look right.  I hadn't done a graft in ribbing before.  I think it looks o.k.

The Crown Mountain Farm Corriedale Fiber in "Stonehenge" is also finished. It came out a bit lighter than I expected, but I like it.  Eight ounces yielded 790 yards of 2 ply.  Here's a couple pictures, one of each bobbin after plying. 

Thursday, November 11, 2010

More Fiber Goodies, Slow Project Progress, and Needleless Cabling

Crafting has been slow this week.  I haven't had a lot of incentive to work on stuff.  Maybe the new meds are to blame or the time change. 

An opportunity was presented by CorgiHillFarm for members of her Ravelry group to get some of her dyed Cashmere/Silk blend at a special price.  I ended up with 4 ounces of a lovely Lilac color.  This is part of my "arm-chair festival shopping" last week.  It arrived earlier this week and is super soft.

I'm still working on my first beaded scarf.  I had plans to have it finished this past weekend, but, was sidetracked with non-fibery stuff.  I think I will have the second half done by tomorrow night or Saturday at the latest. Then it just needs to be grafted together.

Tonight is my knitting guild meeting which includes a lesson on how to knit cables without a needle.  This is perfect timing for me since I'm finally re-starting my TTL Mystery Socks again.  I tried doing this after watching YouTube videos, but, messed up.  Seeing someone do it in person will help.

The wheels are still busy with the same fibers.  Sunday will see more progress on the Fibers4Ewe fiber since I will be taking that to Happy Hands.  The Crown Mountain Fibers  Corrie fiber in "Stonehenge" has had some progress on the MInstrel.
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The person who was suppose to teach the cabling lesson wasn't able to attend tonight.  We ended up with a knitted item fashion show instead.  We had a lot of fun and laughter.

Friday, November 05, 2010

Can You Smell the Wool Fumes???

Tomorrow starts the inaugural Fiber Festival of New England. It's both Saturday and Sunday and it's in Springfield, MA at the Big E fairgrounds in the Mallory Building. I'm not going. Sniff, sniff. O.K. I wiped the tears up. I was suppose to go but there is no way I can walk or stand that long yet. I'll just have to imagine the wool fumes from the fleece sale, the kaleidoscope of color from the yarns and fibers, the frenzy of activity, and the low roar of all the people.

As I have posted before, I did some stash enhancement/fiber shopping online in the spirit of Rhinebeck last month. Well, I did the same thing today. CJKopec had a couple of fibers up I couldn't resist. "Autumn Rainbow" and "Christopher" are on their way to live in my stash. I'm calling these my FFofNE purchases. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

So, everyone who goes this year, I wish you a wonderful weekend of fibery/yarny goodness. I'm going to be there next year right along with you. :)

Thursday, November 04, 2010

Shhh .. I'm Taking a Sock Knitting Break

I decided to take a few days off knitting socks even though I joined the Sockvember group on Ravelry. My brain just needed a few days break from them. Instead I'm working on a beaded scarf. You knit it in 2 pieces and graft the center. Since I'm almost done with part one, I should be done with the other half this weekend. The yarn is Kraemer Sterling (the one with real silver), and the beads are seed beads in Amethyst and Iris colors, alternated.This picture was taken a couple days ago.

Tuesday, November 02, 2010

Election Day and Simplify Things

It's Election Day so please remember to go vote. I plan to later this afternoon.

The Painted Sheep has an ongoing Ten On Tuesday post that usually is a list of ten items pertaining to a particular topic. Today's was Simplify Things. I'm going to borrow the topic and put my thoughts here.

1. Plan and cook meals ahead so you have more than a day's worth at a time. It's much simpler to toss a dish in the microwave for a few minutes. The extra prep/cooking time can be spent doing other stuff.

2. Clean the house as you go. It will be much easier and quicker for the "big cleaning" on that one day you decide to do it.

3. If you have your own washer/dryer do a batch as soon as you have enough. It will be less of a chore than waiting to do it all in one day. If you go to the laundrymat, bring something along to keep you busy while sitting there.

4. Work down the fiber/yarn stash or your craft/hobby stashes. It's much easier to pick the next item if there is less to go through to choose it. (I'm seriously working on this one.)

5. Only buy what you need. Save "want" shopping as a treat, reward, or present to yourself.

6. Spend time with friends just hanging out. You don't need an event, party, or expensive night out to enjoy each other's company.

7. Remove the "fluff" friends. You know the ones I mean.

8. If you haven't worn or used it in 2 years, toss it. (I'm working on this one too.)

9. Take time to breathe, reflect on the good things, and enjoy what Mother Nature has given us. Let go of the stuff you can't control or change. This helps center me.

10. Enjoy life. We only get this one chance so make it a happy one without carrying around "baggage" from the past.