Sticks and Stones

I feel like I have been getting nowhere with my knitting over the past two weeks.  It’s my own lazy fault and it’s all about NOT knitting a swatch when I SHOULD.  Two weeks ago I started Edna Rose.  I have had her on my Ravelry list for a long time and finally got the motivation to knit her up (another story that I will tell one day).  IF i ever finish her (I will, I will) she will be going to my friend Di for her birthday which was back in November but the end seems far from sight…sigh…

I started in a lovely green which I think is from the Cleckheton Country Naturals range but came out of Mum’s stash.  I remember which jumper she used this colour in.  Mum used to knit amazing jumpers full of scenes – amazing colour work with an incredible number of bobbins now that I think about it – like farm yards.  They really were works of art… wish she could still knit & share the knowledge… Anyway, the green came from her and it wasn’t enough… not nearly enough and my gauge was too loose anyway, it was going to fit a bear.  I dumped the green beginning an went on to red.  Red, from Mum’s stash, that was also from the Country Naturals range.  It really nice, red with white “bits” through it.  I like it.  I cast on with 4mm needles and knitted up the first pattern repeat.  WAY TOO BIG.  I dumped it.

Then I knitted it on 3.75mm DPN and I wasmuch much happier.   This was going to be a 1 day knit & I think it would have been if I had knit a SWATCH.  Next project I start will get a SWATCH done BEFORE I start….  do you think I’ll EVER learn that lesson… hmmm.

Pattern: Edna Rose by Jacki Kelly
Yarn: Cleckheton Country Naturals from Mum’s stash – less than 1 ball
Needles: 3.75 mm DPN
Commenced: 28 November 2008
Completed: 20 December 2008

Notes: Nice pattern but I am not fond of the decreasing at the top – I prefer a hat/beanie with a smooth rounded top (truely a personal preference not a criticism of the pattern!).  I enjoyed knitting it once I finally had my gauge right.  Don’t think I’d knit it again and I don’t think it will suit the intended recipient so I am going to give Sophie for Christmas as she has fallen in love with it.

Last week when my brother came to visit he left us with a box of cherries – yummy!  When we arrived home from the block there was an ice cream container of cherries at the door – thank you Auntie Clare – so we had a glut.  What a lovely position to be in with cherries .  This week, after eating large quantities of cherries we still seem to have lots left and not much hope of getting through them all before they go off so I decided to dig up Stephanie Alexander’s book and preserve the extras.

So, I took the cherries & pitted 1kg with tips from this site.  Then, I made the sugar syrup with 2 cups of water & 1kg of sugar which I simmered for 5 minutes with the cracked pips as per her instructions.

Then I tipped in the cherries and let it all simmer for a few minutes.

Out came the cherries, which were then packed into jars, and the syrup went back on the stove to reduce & thicken.

After that it was poured over the cherries and the jars were sealed.  I then boiled the packed jars for 15 minutes to improve keeping.

I can’t claim to have made any of my gifts for family this year…. all good intentions seem to have flown out the window with the distraction of the block and the two kids and the dog and Mum.  All excuses – and great ones – but they dont’ seem to get me far .  I’ve had my birthday – lovely day too with a sleep in, massage at the Beechworth Spa (very luxurious), a visit from one of my brothers & his beautiful family with the gift of a great folding shopping basket & loads of phone calls…oh and my sister gave me an awesome garlic crusher – and now I am focusing on getting through to Christmas.  Beds have been worrying me but I think that’s all sorted out now without anyone having to bring much other than pillows and the food seems to be well in hand – still I may make a trip over to Arnolds.

In the middle of all this was a surprise delivery of some wool.  It was just at the back door one day when we arrived home from the block.  Wow!  It’s coloured fleece & super soft.  I love fleece fairies, Pete doesn’t!!!!  I immediately pulled out 100g – wouldn’t you – and spun it woollen on Natasha’s wheel (yes I took off the alpaca/silk blend which I have spun very little of).  It resulted in a lovely ?aran ?bulky yarn when plied, light airy, soft and bouncy.  Onto the 6mm DPN for a beanie, ends darned & wrapped up to deliver with a 6 pack of beer to the fleece fairy who I believe is a local part time shearer.  What a lovely pre birthday/Christmas gift for my so I had to return the favour.  I think he’ll like the beanie – I hope so as there are others lining up for it – but if not he has a few sons that I am sure will wear it and failing that I hope he gives it to charity.

So here it is:

Pattern: My own beanie pattern
Yarn: Hand spun gift fleece – spun woollen, 2ply, approx 10 WPI
Needles: 6 mm DPN
Commenced: 20 December 2008
Completed: 20 December 2008

Notes: Very quick knit, lovely yarn to work with even if I did spin it myself!  This is my favourite way to knit a beanie, it always seems to work with a nice round top and great overall shape.  Might have to spin up another 7 lots for all the men in the family – birthdays but a few got beanies last year (you can never have too many beanies can you?).

I read lots of other bogs – I subscribe through Bloglines so I know when my favourites have posted – and I often feel a sence of inadequcy when it comes to my gardening skills but I think The Growing Challenge is really helping me!  I used to blme lots of things for my garden not growing what we needed – small space, poor soil, water restrictions – but now i am looking into why things are not successful and, better still, looking at what is successful and why.

One thing I am doing well at growing at the moment is the largest crop of head lice I’ve ever seen!  I’ve had a problem with a very nasty rash on the back of my neck for about 3 or 4 weeks, I even went to the doctor on Friday but he had no idea what it was. My brother & sister-in-law (our first overnight guests at the block) identified it after having gone through the same thing just after they stayed with us…. maybe Gina & I are allergic to the bites or maybe we both had the lice for so long without noticing that they just wrecked havok with our scalps & necks?  Who knows but mine are suffering under some terrible chemicals and I already feel some relief from the burning & itching!

On a true growing note my 2 peanuts are growing well, the crookneck squash are flowering, the transplanted zucchini seem to be coming good, the bush pumpkins look like they are going to flower soon & I bandicooted some yummy Red Star potatoes the other day… going well!

My EZ love affair continues – more with thought, yarn touching & the occasional knitting – and I have finished her 3 cornered hat from her Knitter’s Almanac.  A while ago I knitted the Ganomy Hat from the same book and I am intermittently working on her Shawl – I spin a lot, knit a little and put it aside for a while til I can spin more yarn.

Sophie in the Three Cornered Hat

Pattern: Three Cornered Hat by Elizabeth Zimmerman in Knitter’s Almanac
Yarn: Moda Vera Babka – 100% acrylic – less than 1 50g ball
Needles: 5.5mm DPN & circular
Commenced: ? 2008
Completed: 5 December 2008

Notes: Very quick knit but one I put done a few times as my interest in other things was stronger.  Knit at 4 stitches per inch it came out at a size suitable for a 6-18 month old (it does fit Sophie at a stretch).  It’s very soft & looks great so I am very happy to have finished off another item for Charity (6 to go!)!  I will knit this again in different yarn and gauge to make a larger size for Sophie next winter.

I just wanted to post about a new find for me and I feel that the photos I am going to include may be offensive to non meat eaters & sensitive meat eaters…  so be warned.

A few weeks ago we celebrated our wedding anniversary with a weekend, or rather 25 hours, without the kids.  Wow, a whole 25 hours – it was bliss but it was GREAT to see them when we arrived home .  We went to a very expensive (for us) restaurant and I think I shocked Pete by ordering rabbit.  He could not believe it and couldn’t wait to tell his Dad that I paid $32 for rabbit.  I wish I had taken a photo of his face!  I expressed interest in learning to cook with it and we had a good laugh about it but Pete told the guys at work about it.  Lots of the guys at Pete’s work go shooting on a regular basis and, when I say go shooting, I mean go out and get a few rabbit or a deer to eat.  I don’t think they shoot indiscriminately or wastefully if you get what I mean.  One of the guys sent Pete a text on Thursday night to see if I’d like a rabbit or two as he had just shot and skinned some.  Pete passed on the message and I eagerly accepted.  You see, the block has many many rabbits residing on it and I feel it’s a waste just to poison them all so why not eat them?  From now on I am going to get the guys to shoot “our” rabbits when we are not around (see how brave I am !).

So, on Friday night Pete came home with this:

A wrapped gift of a different kind

which I gingerly unwrapped and found this:

To be honest it made me feel a little queasy but I was up for the challenge and out came Stephanie Alexander, the stock pot, celery, carrot, peppercorns, parsley, thyme, onion, lemon rind, a bay leaf & water to cover the lot.  I simmered it on the stove top for 1 1/2 hours & then let it cool in the pot as per Stephanie’s instructions:

Once cool, I pulled the meat from the bones mixed it with almonds, parsley, bacon, mushrooms & a sauce made from the stock with lemon juice & cream.  A home made short crust pastry finished it off but there are no more photos of what was one of the most amazing cooking feats I have ever achieved – the pie was DELICIOUS and our guests really enjoyed it too! (I ran out of time & we bought a swing set from Wodonga & we had to pick it up Saturday afternoon so time was tight)

I think we could eat rabbit once a week – it would lessen our ecological footprint through the consumption of less red meat, it’s low fat, it’s prefect for cooking in dishes I like to cook (i.e. slow cooking, stews, stocks, pies), we have loads of it on the block that needs to be removed, other people LIKE to kill & skin them (although I think I’ll have to learn this), they are a pest, they are free so, if I can grow the vegetables it will make very “cheap” healthy meals & last but not least, it’s YUMMY!

Well, I didn’t get my “allotted” spinning done but I did get myself onto the Toy Library Committee by chance!  Maybe today will be a spinning day after Story Time…. I hope so as I am hanging out to play with the Drum Carder again and then there’s some dyeing I want to try out… Spinning FIRST!

Do you do it?  Do you make deals or pacts with yourself that if you get such & such done you’ll reward yourself with something else?  I do it all the time.  I write list all the time, lists of jobs to do, lists of gifts to make, lists of food to buy, lists of plants to plant, lists of seeds to buy, lists of birthdays, lists of lists… see it goes on and on.

Today, after doing some Fregie work, I dawdled through Spinning Knitters on Ravelry – I really enjoy seeing what others are doing but I do try to avoid going there too often as I seem to lose hours – and found a post on what people are doing for December.  What spinning could I do for December… hold one girl, you have to finish the silk/alpaca blend for Henley Perfected & you have to finish the brown fleece for the EZ blanket. So my December project is to finish spinning up the silk/alpaca that I have yet to blend on the drum carder.

My deal today was that if I blend 4 lots of 10g fibre (5g alpaca & 5g silk) on the Drum carder I have to sit & spin it all before I can use the carder again.  It doesn’t sound like much but there a few factors that may make this hard for me:

1) Kids

2) The alpaca is not all that clean (I.e. has lots of vegetable matter that needs picking out – I wont do it this way again but consider it lesson learnt)

3) I am just way too impatient & want to put my blue fleece through the carder or play with the angora I have or knit or anything else but the job in hand.

I figure that if I do this for another 4 days it will be done…maybe I’ll have some plied yarn to show next week.

This is what I want to spin before tomorrow:

Clouds of 50:50 Alpaca & Silk

What do you think the chances are of completing it?