A Beanie for Alonzo & Zucchini Cake

Babies need hats.  Purl Bee has a cute pattern for a heirloom hat that made up in just a day or two.

Originally, the thought was to make a pair of booties, but after making the first one and realizing it looked too large, I checked the pattern and saw I had cast on too many stitches.  The second one looked lots better, meaning I have to rip out that first stay on bootie and start all over.  Can I get it done in time for Sunday when the hand off is to occur?

And, in the meantime, this is on the needles: Norwegian Shawl or Scarf.

For your culinary pleasure, I was directed toward a  recipe that is excellent; a fairly heavy zucchini cake with lots of cream cheese frosting with zested orange.  Have a look here.  My notes here.

Our neighbor keeps supplying us with his zucchini, and we keep trying new things with them.  Not a single zucchini has been harmed or wasted in the process of experimentation.  We took over a portion of this cake to them as a "thank you", and they upped us by bringing over zucchini brownies.  Not a bad deal.

Leaving you with this bumblebee on a cosmos.  They are busy little things.

Scottish Referendum and a Kate Copycat Shawl

Have you been following the Scottish independence referendum with their vote yesterday?  I was breathing a sigh of relief (sorry, Nana if that was not your political inclination) that the vote was to remain in the UK. After 307 years of being in union with the UK, the Scots will remain so.  More articulate and well written articles that are in line with this thinking can be found all over the www and you can look for them if you are so inclined.  P.J. O'Rourke said it well in his article "Up to a Point: A Free Scotland" when he says in one paragraph

The Brits won’t let the Scots keep the pound. The EU needs another Greece or Portugal dragging down the euro like the EU needs another bureaucrat in Brussels. Scotland will be reduced to using the 16th century, value soon equaling the Zimbabwe dollar—to the delight of bean-counters employing journalists who have expense accounts.

But then, he is Irish, so ...

Furthermore:

Many saw it as a "heads versus hearts" campaign, with cautious older Scots concluding that independence would be too risky financially, while younger ones were enamored with the idea of building their own country.

source

On to the arts and crafts and a Fiber Arts Friday, also linking with Natural Suburbia and  Yarn Along and others.  My finished HRH Kate's Copycat Shawl:

Numma numma yarn (doppio) in the wintermint color ran out after 1200 yards, three skeins, while I was on the bind off.  Yikes, what to do?  Well, I brought out my Scottish yarn from Jameson & Smith that I have referenced many times, and then dyed it with acid dyes to finish the bind off.  The greens and blues made for a perfect match to the original yarn (20 percent cashmere, merino and silk so you know how it feels).  Although the Jameson & Smith yarn is 100% wool, you cannot tell the difference since it was less than one row of self dyed fiber).  Did I tell you that I emailed the designer and she said there were over 2300 stitches in EACH ROW of the ruffle?  And how many rows in that ruffle?  I didn't count, but two inches worth.  Finished size, from tip to stern, 7 feet!  *details here*

Giving those fingers a rest, I am off to finish my adult play room/office, or as the husband had dubbed it, "The Official Quarters of the Queen of All Things Domestic."       (except for cooking)

Chihuly at the Denver Botanic Gardens

Saw the posted impressive glass art exhibit by Dale Chihuly last weekend in Denver.  For more information on him or the traveling exhibit,  go to the Denver Botanic Gardens.  Seeing these works was an exceptional treat.  We were able to view the glass art during daylight hours and also during dusk time when they were illuminated.

Here are a few of the pictures I took at the gardens, set to music:

Friends and I had great food and a marvelous time.   Dessert below was served at The Market on Larimer Square, delicious!  And we saw a live performance of "Pippin" at the Buell Theatre.  Retail therapy was included.  Also great fun!

I came home to paint and refurbish my study.  More on this tomorrow, or soon.

A Red Door

Just painted, our front door!  It went from green to red.

Looking much better than this two days ago...

My back is a bit sore, but think it was worth the effort.  Also spruced up the entrance with a coat of paint on the barrel that holds cosmos about ready to bloom.  The yellow mums came from Home Depot.  The husband and I disagree about it needing another coat of paint on the door.  That red is not covering 100 percent, so must do another coat for adequate coverage.  Sigh.

These references were used for

• how to paint a door
• best 8 red colors for exterior doors
• colors for doors with a feng shui influence

The red I used was made by Behr, Ruby Ring # 5853, exterior semi gloss latex

Come visit!

Rolled Dumplings for Peach Cobbler

Ripe, lucious peaches are everywhere in western Colorado this time of year. Sweet, juicy fruit picked straight from the tree was used to make our latest peach cobbler.  Freshly grated nutmeg and cardamom make those juices zing.

The best recipe for peach cobbler can be found at Cook.Com, in my humble opinion. Here it is:

OLD FASHIONED PEACH COBBLER

8 or 9 peaches, peeled and sliced
1/2 c. water
1 1/2 c. sugar
2 tbsp. self-rising flour
Pinch of salt
1/2 c. butter, melted
*add cardamon and nutmeg, optional*

Cook peaches in water until tender. Mix flour, salt and sugar. Add to peaches. Mix. Add melted butter.

PASTRY FOR COBBLER:
1 c. self-rising flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/3 c. shortening
4 tbsp. sweet milk, or enough to make a stiff dough

Blend flour, salt, and shortening to coarse meal texture. Add milk. Roll on floured surface. Pour half of peaches in 9x13 inch pan. Cut some dumplings and push dumplings down into the peach juice. Pour remaining peaches in and top with lattice strips. Bake in a 350 degree oven 35 to 40 minutes, or until top is golden brown. I like to sprinkle a little sugar on top before baking. This should be juicy cobbler, not dry.

The rolled texture of the dumpling and the self-created thickened sauce is similar to that of an apple dumpling.

A little vanilla ice cream doesn't hurt the taste!

Love Me Some Linen

The following is an unsolicited advertisement for an online store that sells quality linen.  No bribes or money has been transferred to garner the following endorsement for this store.

Linen, medium weight, color: cardinal.
All Purpose Linen, IL019

and here are just a few more of their colors from this site:

This is the finished garment.  It has good drape and can be worn either as a blouse or as a jacket over a tank top or tee.

Loving it so much I ordered more fabric in this color to make the same Jac Shirt:

Pattern: Jac Shirt from Tsutti in Melbourne, AU
Details here

What They Said, What They Shared

Without other people in our lives pointing us to new things to read, new things to cook, new reasons for "why things happen", new things to view on tv, and  new knitting techniques and patterns, our lives would not be near as diverse.  So here are a few of my new favorite things that have lateley been pointed out to me.

...as relating to online games, this article is well worth a read about Granny Chichi who lives in Belize and is whupping her journalistic grandson in the most charming of wordy ways  (Severo Avila said it)

...as relating to cooking, here are a few absolutely delicious recipes my friends and husband have made over the past few months. I was a lucky recipient of their good eats. (Gene, Natalie, and Dottie said it)

• cold cucumber soup
• banana crepes with orange cognac sauce from Michael Richardson of Cottey College in his excellent cookbook
• gelato with moscato wine, divine!
• trout cakes
• easy flourless chocolate cake ... a true winner
• eggplant dip with yogurt *great as a dip for artichokes last night*

...as related to why it rains in the fall, this is what Simon said

...as related to streaming movies, this summer I have watched and enjoyed the following older movies, new to me (Pam mostly said it)

• The Chorus
• Haute Cuisine
• Found Memories
• Stories They Tell
• Midsomer Murders with new episodes just released

...as relating to knitting, (Esther Budd  said it) the Her Royal Highness Shawl, which I am knitting for the second time because I am a glutton for punishment, tells me I am currently knitting, in the round, several thousand stitches just on one round for the ruffle on this shawl.

(source)

Above is Kate the Duchess of Cambridge in 2011 in a knitted green shawl that caused a stir in the fiber world. If you click on the source link, you will see where it could have been purchased back then.  Esther Budd came up with a pattern for the knit shawl that you can purchase here.  So now you can make your own shawl similar to that of the Duchess.  You can see why Budd calls it the "suicide ruffle" in her pattern if you have ever knit this many stitches in just one pattern repeat

(started on the suicide ruffle a day ago, apologies for poor quality of that green color)

this is the yarn for the HRH shawl I'm working on:  numma numma in wintermint and a truer color shown, referred by The Knit Girllls

source

What have YOU been pointed to lately?  What have you learned?  What can you recommend?  Tell, tell!

Linking as usual with Tami at Works in Progress Wednesday and Yarn Along and Fiber Arts Friday.

and Natural Suburbia.

Orange-Grey Delancey Cardigan

After eight months in knitting process, it is finished.  "It" being the cardigan begun in the low lights of December last year.

 Yup, it is a l-o-n-g...sweater.

 With an orange grosgrain button band attached to the back of the front buttons for stability.

Orange flower buttons on the front.

And pretty orange cosmos from our gardens!

(information about this project here; with prior posts about Delancey Cardigan here and here)

Joining in with Natural Suburbia for Creative Friday and Fiber Arts Friday to share finished projects.

DNA Lexicon of Scrabble is Morphing

As an old dog playing Scrabble in tournament play since the mid '90's, I am very sorry to see that the new OWL (Official Word Listing) list in effect since 2006 will be changing at the end of the year.  Over 5,000 new words will be added.  Sigh...this old dog is rolling over.  Even more information to try to pack in between brain neurons and synapses.

According to a well written post here, the new acceptable two letter words are not just baby talk.  The four two letter words that will be allowed in tournament play effective December 1, 2014, DA GI PO TE, are going to change tournament play.

Just for your information, here is the existing list of acceptable two letter words, with thanks to The Phrontistery.  (He has an extensive listing of Scrabble words for cloth and fabric that is fascinating.)

AA AB AD AE AG AH AI AL AM AN AR AS AT AW AX AY 
BA BE BI BO BY 
DE DO 
ED EF EH EL EM EN ER ES ET EX 
FA FE 
GO 
HA HE HI HM HO 
ID IF IN IS IT 
JO 
KA KI 
LA LI LO 
MA ME MI MM MO MU MY 
NA NE NO NU 
OD OE OF OH OI OM ON OP OR OS OW OX OY 
PA PE PI 
QI 
RE 
SH SI SO 
TA TI TO 
UH UM UN UP US UT 
WE WO 
XI XU 
YA YE YO 
ZA 

To give you the full flavor experience in a small shot, these are the new three-letter words that are are back hooks for those new two-letter words: DAS DEP DOH EMO EST FAH GIF GIS HOM HOO LAH LOR MAM MEH MES MMM MOI MUX NAV NUG OIK OMA OPA ORG OWT PAK POS REZ SHO SIG SOC SOH TEC TES TIX TIZ UMS UNI YAS YER YEZ.

Wordologists are cleverly at work creating a new listing of all the new words.  Seattle and its Scrabble club are well on the way to creating their own list, but it will be a while before all of us catch up on a complete listing.  A new OWL dictionary is not yet  available, although you can buy an updated Scrabble Players Dictionary for non-tournament play.

(Remembering my 149 point play of "m-u-t-i-l-a-t-e" in 2009 in a Calgary tournament: post here.)

“It's not about the cards you're dealt, but how you play the hand.”

― Randy Pausch 

Leaving you with this mushroom under one of the trees in back, and wishing you good luck in whatever game you play!

My First and Last Vogue Lace Knitted Shawl

On Ravelry here are all the notes about knitting this shawl.  Curse words were deleted for family friendliness, and just the facts were included; this is the end result.  Mind you, I will never, ever knit this pattern again.

But the hearts, once they were blocked out, do make an interesting motif down the center panel.  It is five feet in width, so the shawl will wrap around the neck/body with appropriate warmth.  Although I am not a big fan of picot edging, it was included as a part of the pattern, so who I am to argue with Vogue. (?)  So it was picot edged.

Linking with Natural Suburbia and Fiber Arts Friday where other fiber related crafts can be seen.

More Liturgical Wall Art

For the last summer days of August in the church liturgical calendar of Ordinary Times, butterflies, hot colors and sunflowers.

 (oils and acrylics, 36" x 24")

 (paint on silk, 24" x 24")

(paint on silk, 24" x 36")

Also on Pinterest here

Therefore Give Us Love

Scottish Episcopal Church, Lerwick, Scotland

Full Text

1 Gracious Spirit, Holy Ghost,
taught by you, we covet most,
of your gifts at Pentecost,
holy, heavenly love.

2 Faith that mountains could remove,
tongues of earth or heaven above,
knowledge, all things, empty prove
without heavenly love.

3 Though I as a martyr bleed,
give my goods the poor to feed,
all is vain, if love I need;
therefore give me love.

4 Love is kind, and suffers long,
love is meek, and thinks no wrong,
love than death itself more strong;
therefore give us love.

5 Prophecy will fade away,
melting in the light of day;
love will ever with us stay;
therefore give us love.

6 Faith and hope and love we see
joining hand in hand, agree;
but the greatest of the three,
and the best, is love.

Source: Church Hymnary (4th ed.) #627
Christopher Wordsworth, 1862

Last summer, when this hymn was sung by a small Christian congregation during a Sunday morning service, the sounds echoed in that ancient slate and rock chancel (photo above).  After the service, I photographed the words of this song by Christopher Wordsworth that he composed over 150 years ago, thinking I would track down the music later.  Not only the music, but also the words were found via our amazing internet technology.  A bit of the sound from this hymn, on mp3, can be heard here.  But it cannot compare with my remembered experience of singing it in unison with other believers, in that small cathedral.

Glorious Gladiolas

Our neighbor planted 250 gladiola bulbs a few years ago and shared these blooming beauties with us yesterday.

He did not know his gladiola colors complemented my silk painting above the fireplace.  So the glads are staying in front of the fireplace.

(39" x 41")

Kudos to nice neighbors.

Judith Weir

Highly recommended: The Welcome Arrival of Rain (Judith Weir)

a snippet of this album can be downloaded here (a 2008 recording)

Took this snap this morning while changing the blog header....water, rain, Judith Weir composes evocative instrumental sounds; BBC Symphony Orchestra in performance

Seize the Day

Carpe diem, said Horace.  We did.

Corn growing yesterday early morning, with the help of Gene's green thumb and God's good sun and water:

And, later in the day, it was eaten an hour after cutting it from nine foot stalks:

(the cosmos and coreopsis are now in full bloom)

A trip up to the mountains for lake fishing:

This scenery was behind me at one spot where I fished. A bearded "mountain looking" guy came by on the trail and said that he had been angling directly across from us, near where beaver had cut down trees for a small dam.  He said he moved because he could hear pups nursing in the brush beside him but decided to quietly move on because he did not want to disturb the mother and pups.  He said he figured it was beaver pups, but did not even try to get a peek.  Now that is a considerate fisherman.

breathtaking trees with the reflections mirrored on the lake

This little chipmunk kept crawling over my shoes and assortment box, trying to get into my trail mix.  Never did let him get a bite, though.  These creatures were seen frequently and had no fear of humans.  I suspect many people feed them, although it is not a park-approved practice.  This baby chipmunk was about six inches long.  He may have been the one to have stolen the top piece of bread from a bologna sandwich in a baggie, unbeknownst to Gene until he reached into the Ziplock to take a bite of lunch.

Total catch for the day: two fish. One was a splake (a cross between a lake trout and a brook trout) and one was a rainbow trout. The splake is an oilier fish with redder meat than what a rainbow trout sports.  It was delicious, tasting somewhat like salmon.

Besides the corn and the fish, our dinner was completed with tomatoes and cucumbers from the garden, along with cilantro butter from Kepanie's Pinterest pin::

That was our seizing of the day.