what’s cookin’ good lookin’?

wow, sunday is here again already, can you believe it?
i’ve been so busy all weekend that i completely forgot to take pictures of my current knitting—we’re going to have to make do with activity photos.

we had a wonderful spinning class once again this morning; i swear, some weeks i just live for sunday spinning. barb brought along a finished skein of soft and squishy 3-ply yarn (above) spun from briar rose BFL—a soft gray with blue and red streaks. we passed it around, squeezing and petting and cooing to it; that’s how we treat new yarn around here.

i got so caught up in admiring the yarn that i forgot to get a picture of barb’s newest sweater—another aztec mazes knit from briar rose glory days, in a wonderful mix of brown, gray, and a bit of turquoisey-green; really stunning.

(hehe, we’re all taking one last opportunity to wear our winter sweaters during these funny days that start out chilly.)

susan is still working on the dark brown shetland i showed you last week, but she brought a bag full of yarn from ireland, gifted to her by her daughter, who purchased it during a recent trip there. she’s not a knitter, but she sure knows how to scope out the good stuff for her mom. our favorite was this oiled wool, which will change dramatically once it’s knit and washed.

linda’s alpaca is spinning up into a gorgeous caramel and ivory singles that will make a yummy yarn. we’re not clear on where this fiber came from, but it’s awfully pretty.

i’m still working on my brown-black shetland too, and today i plied a little of it to see what sort of yarn i’d end up with—it’s just the weight i was hoping for and much more even than i expected. i’m still the kind of spinner who hopes for the right results, since i can’t yet completely control the outcome. i’m getting better though, especially with fine yarns, but chunkies still are a bit hit or miss for me. it always feels like i’m spinning unevenly when i draft larger amounts of fiber through my hands. anyway, this one looks good; it will be a good partner with the other yarn i want to use in the same project.

i just plied one quick bobbin up to see what i had; i actually want to get all the fiber spun before i ply it. i recently purchased the new jumbo spinning and plying head for my schacht wheel (from the woolen rabbit; thanks kim!) and i’d like to use that for the bulk of the plying, so that i don’t have a whole bunch of 60- or 80-yard skeins. it’s a big project this is destined for and little skeins would just be inconvenient.

after everyone left, i worked with linda for a while on office stuff and then treated myself to a nap—it’s always good to start the week well-rested. that’s my story and i’m stickin’ to it.

when i woke up, i got to work cooking a few things for the week ahead. beckie came over to sit in the kitchen and visit with me while i chopped and sautéed—i just love having such a good friend for a neighbor. i think the happiest times in my life have included being settled enough to make friends right in my neighborhood (i’ve moved around a lot; it’s been rare for me to have that). we’ve been in canton long enough now to have gotten to that point and it’s really nice.

anyway, beckie likes indian food and was happy to come by and wile away an hour or two in my kitchen while i put this curry together. this dish has a surprising number of vegetables from last summer’s garden, so it made a good backdrop for talking about our upcoming gardening season.

tomatoes, both roasted puréed and dried, zen greens, summer squash, and roasted eggplant. potatoes, okra, carrots, garlic, ginger, and onion were purchased. the colors and flavors are fresh and vibrant; much better in some ways than takeout and definitely less rich (we love our local indian restaurant, but it can be heavy; we prefer home-cooked curries for everyday good nutrition).

after that was bubbling away on the burner, i put a quiche together

i had some fresh farm eggs, mushrooms, and scallions, and added another package of greens from the freezer—this time swiss chard (well-drained and squeezed of water).

we decided to eat this dish for dinner tonight; the curry will be fab if it sits for a day to meld the flavors but quiche is so good fresh, that we couldn’t resist

so another day of not much knitting, but now we’re all set with meals for the week ahead.
and i have good news—tomorrow i will release pine and ivy.
NOW it’s time to go knit.