Mr C is keeping his record up – four emergency surgeries in eight years. To date the detached retinas are winning. Better that than that open heart surgery I suppose. Perhaps we should consider getting off of this train. But how?
Time for some comfort food. How about homemade pizza?
Let's look on the bright side. There wil be plenty of waiting room knitting.
After two years on my Kromski rigid heddle loom, the Starry Night scarf has been sprung. It had deep gouges where the loom's cords had caused pressure on the fabric, but nothing a short soak couldn't delete. Had to keep it brief, though, as this yarn bled like crazy. As soon as I noticed the blue blood letting, I added some vinegar to the mix. Three rinses later I called it quits as I was afraid of ending up with a robin's egg blue piece instead of the sky at midnight colour it was intended to be:
Now for the choice: what do I do with the fringe? The choices are to leave it as photographed or do the neatly braid thing, a nice finished look for woven items:
Starry Night Scarf
Yarn: Blue Heron Rayon Metallic, 1 skein
Loom: Kromski Harp 23" – 8 dent heddle, 106 ends
Finished size: 67" long, 10" wide.
Thoughts: rayon produces a drapy fabric, perfect for this size scarf. I'm considering frogging a knitted item in a similar yarn and recycling it into a more colourful version of this scarf. Hopefully it won't languish on the loom for two years until it's finished.
That old question: if you were stranded on a deserted isle, what yarn would you like to have with you? In years past I would have answered Koigu Painter's Palette Merino or Noro Silk Garden. It's time for those two to move aside. In 2013 my new deserted island yarn is Madelinetosh Pashmina. 75% merino, 15% silk and 10% cashmere, what more can you ask for? A lower cost yarn, maybe, but for an occasional indulgence and if I'm going to be stuck in the middle of nowhere for an undetermined amount of time, this is the one. Truthfully, I haven't bought yarn in about a year (can you imagine?) so I was overdue. I foresee one more pre-retirement splurge and this will be it.
It all started way back with my original Clapotis. This one will be my fifth. Not bad for someone who was part of the Clap resistance way back when. The first was my favourite most worn project despite its tendency to pill. Of course that was a case of yarn choice folly. Note to self: Handmaiden Fine Yarn Silk Maiden is high on the pillage factor. The one thing I've learned through my years of yarn splurging is that soft single ply silk or silk blend yarns pill. Worth remembering. That project was pilling prior to its completion. It's a moot issue, that scarf is hiding from me, having not been seen in months.
Wanting a reliable replacement, I did my homework and found Pashmina, a tight but soft three-ply that has shown a high resistance to pilling. To me, it's heaven by the yard. The coincidence? Without prior consultation, Blogless Marsha and I ordered Madelinetosh yarn from the same site on the same day. Here is the result thus far:
So I wonder, what are your dream yarns and what project have you worn more than any other? And were you lucky enough to put the two together?
UPDATE: Sadly this Clapotis has acquired a case of the pills, mostly toward the ends. A scarf of that length gets more wear and tear on the far ends, exacerbating the pillage. Recommendation: reserve the use of luxury yarns, such as the Tosh Pashmina, for smaller more tightly knit projects. I've had no issue so far with my Summer Flies project.
I believe it. Research shows that curry is addictive. Soon I'll have to check myself into that Seattle treatment center that advertises addiction therapy in ten days with a couple of two day follow ups. On our Greek cruise they had a section of the lunch buffet dedicated to Indian food and I was there nearly every day. A few years back, on our voyage across the Atlantic, there was a genuine tandoor (clay oven). What a treat.
If you are an Indian food fan, you'll question a couple of the ingredients in this recipe as seemingly Thai in taste, but it comes out tasting authentically Indian. Better than other butter chicken recipes I've tried and the best naan ever.
Butter Chicken in the Slow Cooker
8 boneless skinless thighs and breasts, cut into chunks
3T butter for sauteeing spices, onion and garlic
3T vegetable oil for browning chicken
1 chopped onion
4 cloves minced garlic
1.5T curry paste or to taste. I used 2t very hot Thai green curry paste
1.5T Tandoori masala
1T garam masala
1.5T curry powder, plus extra to sprinkle on raw chicken. I use Trader Joe's brand
2 cans coconut milk. I used one can of Trader Joe's Coconut cream and of their one light coconut milk, the best would probably be two cans of regular coconut milk.
2 cans tomato paste
3/4 C plain yogurt. I used low fat, you probably wouldn't want to use fat free.
Salt to taste
Fresh Cilantro for garnish
1. In a large pot, saute onions and spices in butter until onion is wilted. Add the tomato paste, coconut milk and yogurt and stir until smooth over medium heat.
2. Sprinkle chicken pieces with curry powder and brown in oil.
3. Put all in a slow cooker and cook on low for 6-8 hours.
Serve with basmati rice (I use Trader Joe's brown basmati) top with cilantro. I also served it with whole wheat naan (bread)
Whole Wheat Naan
2 C whole wheat flour
3/4 C low fat yogurt plus 1/3 C low fat milk warmed in microwave
2t instant yeast
1t sugar
1/2t salt
White flour for rolling dough.
If desired, melted garlic butter to brush on after removing from oven.
Mix all dry ingredients in a medium bowl. Slowly add milk mixture and blend with hands, kneading until it forms a ball. If too dry add more milk, if too wet add more flour. Mixture should be sticky. Roll ball of dough in white flour and place back in bowl, cover and let rest in a warm dry place for at least an hour and a half.
Place a pizza stone or cast iron pan in oven and preheat oven to 500 degrees. With floured hands divide dough into six balls. Roll between floured sheets of waxed paper until 1/4 inch thick. You can cook two at a time on the pizza stone. Slightly dampen each naan with wet hands and place on pizza stone. Cook each side for two and a half minutes. Remove and brush with garlic butter if desired. You can also cook in a thick pan, sprayed with non-stick spray on top of the stove for 90 seconds on each side, until golden brown.
The next day I slit open the leftover naan, like pita bread, and made grilled asparagus and fresh basil sandwiches:
Bordering on a foodie blog, I promise knitting content in the next post. The tease: a taste of Madelinetosh Pashmina.
We are a family with a creative bent, hence the general condition of my house. We have accumulated stashes of yarn, watercolour supplies, oil pastels by the hundred, rough turned wooden bowls, and the spoils of my recent silver smithing/beading adventure. As I write this M and C are experimenting with encaustic painting and the kitchen, barely cleaned from feeding dinner to 36 people in 36 hours, is cluttered with beeswax, oil paints, and scraps of varying texture.
For Christmas C created additions to my sheep collection:
I participated in a marzipan making workshop:
My 22-yr-old film maker added to my Scottie collection with his first attempt at hand sewing. Sweet boy, I hear he had a legion of girls helping him:
I experimented with my new tool, acquired in Rome, which cuts veggies into curlicues. I was a sucker for this gadget, paying far more than the value of its parts, but the demonstrator's sales job (apologies, I couldn't find an English version) made it well worth the price. And this year's Christmas yams were beautiful:
And the family's favourite creation, daughter E and SIL S's baby boy, Rye:
Another low key Christmas. All the kids home, three by birth, one by marriage plus their first baby, what joy. Once again, the nativity and the ceramic Christmas tree, all that we need to remind us of the meaning of the holiday. Some unlikely characters in our particular scene, but all with meaning. I remember placing the two Polish geese as long as I can remember Christmas.
C surprised me with the biggest bouquet I have ever received. There are still surprises after 30 years. He did mention the comment from the guy behind him at the florist. "Boy, you must have done something really bad."
Considering it's 1:00 am, and Santa has done her job, I'd better go to bed. Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night.
Needing some distraction from ongoing ankle fracture issues I did something that has been on my list for years – a silver smithing course. Over an eight and a half hour day we learned to solder sterling links, craft a toggle clasp, the techniques of hammering and embossing, and bezel setting of a CZ. That is my finished project. Accolades to a wonderful teacher, also a blogger.
Photo therapy also helps me forget the pain. Rye at eight months:
December 6th, thirty years of marriage. Where did time go? How did it happen? How do you measure thirty years?
More than half my life, three talented children, two Scotty dogs, four moves in two countries, all our parents gone, a grandbaby, retirement (ours!) plans, joys and sadness, ups and downs, give and take…
Did I ever tell the story of how we met? I think I did. I took a stained glass course and he was the teacher. After a few dates he said, "If you're going to get serious with me, you have to move to a place called Lions Bay, BC."
"Oh, OK" this New York-raised-near-the-city girl said.
And the rest is history.
Santorini – November 2012:
Personal loss is more than sadness. It's an unfillable void. We can do our best to try, but I'm convinced it's not supposed to get filled up. That hole in our life is there so we don't forget. If you mark it from the one year anniversary of my mom's death, it's been a year of loss, including the passing two friends.
To cope with this last one, a dear friend whom I've known for nearly 30 years, I turned to the crocheting of a prayer/comfort shawl for his wife. It was my vacation crochet project. Something I could do, since so far away, I wasn't present for his funeral, which was tough for me.
Pattern: Seraphina's Shawl, a free crochet pattern, meant for thicker yarn and larger hook. Wanting something light as angel's wings I chose a lacier look.
Yarn: Malabrigo Lace, 2 skeins
Hook: 2.5mm
Thoughts: This is crochet that looks and feels like lace knitting. I'll do this one again. Thinking about the purpose of a comfort shawl, and always afraid that the recipient won't receive it in the spirit intended, I realize that its purpose goes both ways. The memories, intentions and grief worked through in the making of these projects also benefits me.
I've lost a faithful follower of my blog since day one, over eight hundred posts ago. I miss him.
Update: since the writing of this post we have received word of another loss, our vibrant and talented cousin Michael in Denmark. I look at his accomplishments and feel the meaning of his music and lyrics – Dance Like Nobody's Watching for example, and my personal favourite, on the lighter side, Dishes Done. Life is short.
Wanting the city experience Blogless Marsha, David, Chuck and I rented a centrally located apartment near Campo de Fiori, literally field of flowers, which it was in the middle ages, but with a more sinister history in later years. Now a cheerful public market, the statue of philosopher Giordano Bruno still stands in the middle. He was burned alive at this spot in 1600 for heresy.
The apartment was teensy, just big enough for four people. Thanks to M and D for taking the loft accommodation, my still fractured ankle was most appreciative. They had to be careful not to bonk their head on a 15th century beam. The floor covering was a bamboo looking plastic, very practical for a vacation rental where a tenant might spill some red wine. Our street:
Fascinating ruins right in the city. I was impressed with ceramic tiles that have lasted a couple of thousand years so far:
The Colosseum where people spent the entire day, picnicking and playing games as well as watching the occasional gladiator/lion competition. There is a series of small rooms carved into the hill, where the men would visit the working women, so to speak. Look closely at the carving on the wall pointing the way to the area. Similar carvings were on the ground in Pompeii to direct visiting sailors:
In the area of the Roman Forum was this sheep, carved in 103BC. Where there are sheep, there is wool and there is proof of knitting in ancient Roman times, not long after that year:
Rome was a walking adventure. I am most appreciative of the doctor treated my foot with seven injections of cortisone in the week prior to the trip. Without her willingness to find a way to deal with what seemed like a hopelessly painful situation given the walking nature of our travels, and a terrific aircast sport brace, it would not have been possible. I've had the dream of walking the Camino de Santiago, long before the movie made it popular, and I plan on visiting her before I go. She understands as she's been there on bike.
More to come: Greece and Turkey
Life's a Stitch 