Happy Birthday

Today is the husband's birthday.  Then:

 

Now:

 



Love, love, love!

 

 

He is 65, officially Medicare eligible.  Wow.  Pretty old.  Who would have thunk it?  Love you, Gene!

One of his gifts: a sheep hat creation for walking the dogs.  Pattern is Classic WWII Watch Cap.

This hat pattern was probably knit at least a million times during World War II, and remains one of the most enduring hat designs. Watch a movie or television program which takes place during the winter months, and somewhere in each outdoor frame will be someone wearing this hat.

Archived link to the pattern here.

(sheep were added as a whim to match the dogs' coats)

 

 

Oyster Stitch

In her post today for Wovember, Kate Davies showed off her new pattern that is sort of like a swingy, loose coat sweater.  Not planning to knit such a garment, but I was intrigued by the stitch she described.  It is an old stitch, apparently, and inspired by the grey bi-valved oyster.  She says it has an easily remembered cadence to the pattern.

That certain book that Davies referenced for the stitch pattern was a paperback, and I have pretty much vowed to not yet again buy tangible books that sit on shelves waiting for dust to grace their tops. So I rummaged through my stitch pattern dictionary that still huddles in a bookcase with older books that were mercifully saved from a prior trip of donations to Good Will.  (Some beloved books just cannot be parted from their owners); The Big Book of Knitting Stitch Patterns was one such relic.  Alas, no oyster pattern to be found within its pages.

YouTube did show how to knit that stitch, courtesy of NewStitchADay.

Kate Davies knitted her sweater from a grey color, naturally.  Oysters are grey. But there is a voice in the back of my head that echoes from an older woman, even older than I, that whispered once "grey is not a pretty color for a woman to wear".  I am trying not to listen.

Regardless of that little voice trying to dissuade me from using the color grey in knitwear, there are some gorgeous, classy looks using that neutral shade.  It seems to be quite the favorite color now, even for baby clothes and blankets.

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Thinking about oysters, they have lots of colors, not just grey.  Browns, blacks, greens, yellows, ivory, all make up the ubiquitous grey of the oyster.  We saw lots of oyster farms while in Shetland this summer.  And we even ate a few, which were quite delicious.  Oysters Rockefeller are a favorite holiday appetizer for the hub and me.  Soon.

So using a pretty grey one ply merino yarn, I may make up something in an oyster stitch...perhaps mittens from a free pattern supplied on Ravelry by Rebecca Blair.  We shall see.  There are two other projects on the needles still needing a bit of attention before we sally off on another adventure.

 

Where Is That Bridge

over troubled waters?

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The shattering revelation of that moment was that true peace, the high and bidding peace that passeth all understanding, is to be had not in retreat from the battle, but only in the thick of the battle. To journey for the sake of saving our own lives is little by little to cease to live in any sense that really matters, even to ourselves, because it is only by journeying for the world's sake—even when the world bores and sickens and scares you half to death—that little by little we start to come alive. It was not a conclusion that I came to in time. It was a conclusion from beyond time that came to me. God knows I have never been any good at following the road it pointed me to, but at least, by grace, I glimpsed the road and saw that it is the only one worth traveling.

                               Fredrick Buechner. THE SACRED JOURNEY

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This week has not been cheery.  Some of my many failings have been noted.   One of my friends died Tuesday, my favorite aunt a few weeks ago.  A neighbor whom I have tried to help has pretty well scorned me in efforts.  The sun is waning, not helping the SAD (disorder).

This seems the appropriate time to mention that the husband noted last week the Japanese have five words for gratitude, and they all mean resentment to a lesser or greater degree.  So "thank you" might be harder for some to say than for others.  (More Heinlein here.)

But, I digress.  Libby Sweetpea and I are visiting this morning for Hospice: a new patient with dementia who, in a past life, worked as a gemologist.  I'll be wearing big rings my dad made from onyx years ago.  Maybe she will notice.  Maybe she will remember something that made her happy in her work.

And the knitting continues, the reading continues, the walks have resumed in the beautiful fall weather.  Trying to keep perspective and counting the blessings.  Trying to journey the road Buechner references in The Sacred Journey. 

Finished socks, incorrectly knitted, but good enough for a gal like me:

Linking with Finished Objects Friday

 

What about you, how has your week gone?

It's Wovember!

Since today is my first post in November, it should rightly be a topic to which I have given more than enough thought (ahem), and that is knitting with wool, specifically Shetland wool.

Many die hard knitters have begun thinking of November as Wovember.  This link will take you to a more in depth look at the appreciation of all things wool.  There is a Ravelry group you can check out that has many responses to what knitters are making to join in with the Wovember theme.  Many interesting projects there.

From this site sponsored by Kate Davie, Felicity Ford and Tom van Deijnen:

Wovember is about showing our collective appreciation of wool by wearing as much of this fabulous fibre as possible, and by celebrating its unique qualities in stories and pictures throughout the month of November. Through our enthusiasm and creativity we can raise awareness of what makes wool different, and jointly create a force for wool appreciation strong enough to effect changes in how garments and textiles are described and marketed.

WOVEMBER Information Poster

Joining in with Wovember, my scant offering will be the knitting of the Shetland Heritage Hat (pattern by Leslie Smith Designs).   I substituted the colors of the Shetland 2 play yarns, using a palette of muted shades of lilac, blues and greens with a splash of dark purple.

This is well worth a listen,  Click on the arrow for a BBC short radio feature by Felicity Ford in conversation with Richard Martin, proprietor of Cotswold Woollen Weavers.



Lastly, this is one of our dogs wearing TWO of the Kate Davies designed coats (A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing) since it was chilly out.  And there are other photos from my rocking chair out back just because it was such a lovely evening.

 

Yarn Along

New to me, joining Yarn Along, and of course, WIP Wednesday.

Reading: on Kindle app When We Were Strangers (Schoenewaldt) and Death on A Longship (Taylor) and of course, At the Still Point: A Literary Guide to Prayer in Ordinary Time (Arthur)

Knitting:  Caffe Macchiato (pattern by Moldan).

Cooking: Last night I made for the fourth time my new favorite recipe  Chicken Tikka Masala (Epicurious).

 

I'll be checking in on your blog and seeing what you are knitting, crafting, thinking.  Leave a comment and I'll be sure to follow you.

 



Travertine and Scrabble

This travertine was beside the highway on the way to Durango.

Travertines are natural hot springs erupting from the ground, spewing not only water but also limestone and other minerals that solidify over eons, creating an unusual looking formation.  The surface is known as "tufa" (an excellent Scrabble word), a porous deposit that looks spongy.

At Ft. Lewis College, Scrabble was the game of the day.  Here is a picture of some competitors.

The tournament was held in a math classroom.  The most interesting things to observe there were poster pictures of mathematicians.  Such as:

 

And my favorite:

 

At a study hall across the corridor we saw four deer and a rabbit grazing and resting together.  I got several photos through a window, and this is one that processed better on the iPad:

It was a fun weekend, although we ran into snow on the way there.

And unbelievably, I achieved second place in the Late Bird, and won forty bucks, almost paying for gas to get to Durango!

On the knitting side, I finished these ballet slippers:

Not Just Another Scrabble Tournament

...because this time the tournament is in fairly close proximity, beautiful Durango, Colorado.

In a few hours I'll be on the road to Durango to fling down tiles over the next two days.  All the details are here.  It should be a beautiful road trip with the fall colors still displayed.

In this morning's Daily Mail there was a post about 101 ways to win at Scrabble, a small book by Barry Goldman.  The tips are what most tournament players already know, but darned if he won't make a mint of money on his little book because he got great print media coverage for his production.  Well, good on him.  He does not mention cheating of any sort.  (By the way, if you want to read of my little heartbreak with a cheating scandal five years ago in a Calgary tournament, check out my prior post from 2008.)

The Apple app Words With Friends is a really fun game, in my humble opinion.  But people do cheat there (a lot) with a cheater app, so it is really just a fun kind of way to learn new words withouth taking the game seriously, win or lose.  My friend Ginger played the word ZAPTIEH and told me she looked it up; she got over 125 points for it, if I remember correctly. We both laughed and decided neither of us would remember that word.

If you play Scrabble and want to play me on WWF, invite me with my handle of "templeton7" and I'll be sure to let you beat me.

Onward!

Show the Pink

We are bombarded this month, rightly so, with October Breast Cancer Awareness.

Inspiration Avenue challenges you this month to show your pink art.  So much out there, so little time.

This post will review some of breast cancer awareness that I have blogged about over the years.  Click on the links if you want to read more about breast cancer thoughts (links are under each picture).

Go on over to see more Pink Art here at Inspiration Avenue!

linked to a previous post here

 

bra inserts linked to a previous post here

 

lymphedema, a common side effect of radiation, linked to a previous post here

 

There are things that we don't
want to happen but have to accept,
things we don't want to know but have to learn,
and people we can't live without but have to let go.
~ Author Unknown

 

(linked to a previous post here)

 

Remembering Rivka post here

 

printed on my favorite t-shirt with post here

 

Sisterhood of the Traveling Shawl post here

 

post here

 

post is here

 

Show YOUR pink!  And look at Inspiration Avenue and others' posts to show art to Fight for the Cure.

Pleated Ballet Slippers

Between dramatic health issues with a friend, my own eye issues, and computer problems, the knitting has been sparse over the last few days.

The good news is that I got some punctal plugs yesterday for dry eye.  The jury is out if it will help, but I am crossing fingers.

And since it is Friday, Fiber Arts Friday, here is something I started yesterday:

Ballet slippers!  Well, actually not for dance, but to look nicer on the feet than slouching around in my old LL Bean moose footwear.  Don't even try to picture it.  Not a pretty sight.

The feminine footwear pattern by Julie Weisenberger can be found here.  Slippers on her site look this this:

Mine are used from these yarns, mixtures of wools and acrylics, held double and are in progress.  I plan on making several pairs.

Foot bottoms will be painted with puffy paint I found on Amazon, but it is available at any craft store as well.  The puffy paint helps keep the slippers from sliding on hardwood floors.

 

Update: 10.22.13

 

First pair frogged.  Second pair much better and finished.  Fun making the little pleats.  Here is the yarn and also the finished product:

 

 

 

 



Crocktober: Crock Pot Cashew Chicken and Soup

Now how can you say you don't like crock pot food?  If that is your mantra, you may have not tried this recipe:

Crock Pot Cashew Chicken:

2 lbs boneless & skinless chicken breast tenders

1/2 cup cashews

1 garlic clove, minced

4 tbsps rice wine vinegar

2 tbsp brown sugar

1 tbsp canola oil

1 tsp grated fresh ginger

1/4 cup all purpose flour

1/2 cup soy sauce

1 tsp black pepper

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

4 tbsps ketchup

 

Go here for the directions to assemble and cook.  And perhaps change your mind about crock pots.

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And not just another soup:

Garth Williams, illustrator

Zuppa Toscana

1 lb. Italian sausages (use spicy to get that signature Olive Garden flavor)

4-6 russet potatoes, chopped

1 onion, chopped
1/4 c. REAL bacon pieces (optional)
2 Tbsp. minced garlic (about 3-4 cloves)
32 oz. chicken broth
1 c. kale or Swiss chard, chopped
1 c. heavy whipping cream
2 Tbsp. flour

1. Brown sausage links in a sauté pan.
2. Cut links in half lengthwise, then cut slices.
3. Place sausage, chicken broth, garlic, potatoes and onion in slow cooker. Add just enough water to cover the vegetables and meat.
4. Cook on high 3-4 hours (low 5-6 hours) until potatoes are soft.

30 minutes before serving:
5. Mix flour into cream removing lumps.
6. Add cream and kale to the crock pot, stir.
7. Cook on high 30 minutes or until broth thickens slightly.
8. Add salt, pepper, and cayenne to taste

 

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