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.

source

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

 

source

Show Your Halloween Stuff!

This week, Inspiration Avenue challenges you to post Halloween photographs, recipes, costumes, altered art: anything Halloweeny. 

This is the time to get creative with your stuff, be it scary skeletons or sweet pumpkin smiling faces.  Go here to join in the fun!   Post one or several of your favs and see blogs of others who have taken the challenge. 

To get you started on altered art and/or photographs about Halloween, here are a few faces and items from Etsy and Pinterest that may pique your interest.

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from Attic Clutter

 

And of course, Charlie Brown wishes you a Happy Thanksgiving!

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Fair Isle Slouch Hat Finished

Taking the Hydrangea Fair Isle Slouch Hat:

Modifying the colors with these Jamieson wools:

And one wool hank dyed with marigolds:

This is the finished tam:

It is a bit slouchy on the manny head.  I played around with colors using the color wheel, and it proved to be a good exercise in knitting with differing strands of colored yarn.  It will be a warm hat and a labor of love.

Linking with Fiber Arts Friday and Finished Objects Friday.