I love when I get a special request for something I can make. I know it's much more likely to go over well when it's been asked for so I was especially pleased when someone asked me to do some sandalwood soap. Yesterday I mixed up a batch and the house is filled with the lovely scent of sandalwood. A few folks have said that the scent can really fade so I doubled the amount of fragrance oil I would normally add. Time will tell!
My first skein of the Corriedale yarn is dry and twisted up into a soft little skein. I'm continuing to spin at a fairly slow pace. I took advantage of the break in the rain to pick some peas yesterday for a nice garnish on the dinner salad. They are predicting a mosquito explosion after such a rainy June and I believe it. I got at least three bits just in the few minutes it took to pick a handful of peas. Light up those citronella torches folks!
Jason recently discovered an excellent bike trail not too far away that's flat enough for me to get my bike legs back without killing myself on the hills in town. Yesterday we packed up the bikes and headed over to check it out. It's a quick 20 minutes drive and then there are 11 miles of relatively flat paved trail with ever-changing scenery to entertain you. We managed about 13 miles yesterday which meant we turned around at about the halfway point. My knees were really screaming the first ten minutes but then felt fine until about mile 8. I think I definitely need to get myself a seat pad now that I'm convinced we're going to continue using the bikes. I'm more than a little sore even though my seat does have springs.
I spent the morning yesterday working on getting my first two bobbins of the Corriedale singles plied. I have about 320 yards of lovely 2-ply with just a touch of extra twist. It measures 16 WPI for what it's worth. I think that's a very subjective measurements but if I do it every time I spin it'll gradually come to have some meaning for me. This feels like sportweight to me and I have vague notions that the Katharine Hepburn Cardigan might a nice pattern for it.
Part of our meat csa share this month was ribs. They baked up beautifully and paired nicely with crab cakes, fresh corn and German potato salad. Daniel specifically requested the chocolate pomegranate torte we'd had at Christmas so I made that again. I had to thicken the pomegranate jelly with cornstarch instead of cranberries but otherwise stuck to the original recipe.
Spicy Ribs
2 pounds pork ribs
1 tablespoon salt
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon cumin
1 tablespoon cracked black pepper
1 tablespoon chili powder
2 tablepsoons half-sharp paprika
Preheat the oven to 200F. Mix spices thoroughly in a small bowl and then sprinkle ribs liberally on both sides with the rub. Bake on a foil lined sheet at 200F for 3 hours. Now crisp them up on the grill 5-10 minutes per side, basting with your favorite vinegar sauce if desired.
We are all thrilled to see the sun in New England again! Just in time for a little snap crackle and pop tonight. New this week in the garden are my ever faithful black hollyhocks and gorgeous blue delphiniums. It won't be long before the black-eyed Susans start their show.
