Stoneview

Scritch Scratch

The old scratching post has taken a beating and when I noticed Gwen beginning to scratch the carpet instead I suggested it might be time for a new one. We picked one up only to realized it had some feather thingies attached but this is apparently just what Winnie wanted. She's our feral and has very slowly been coming out of her shell. For the first year and a half she didn't vocalize at all. When she finally did I initially thought I was hearing a newborn kitten outside (the sliding door was open) and very gradually her voice has deepened a little so that it's not so shockingly squeaky when she does talk to us. Most visitors to the house never see her at all unless they go up to the bedroom and peer under the bed where she hides when she hears a strange voice. Those who come to stay for a few days might begin to see her at feeding time. You know a real cat person if Winnie goes over for a pat (Winnie sidled up to Mme Purl almost the first day of our visit last spring).

Log Cabin Slippers

A couple of years ago I made Jason a pair of Log Cabin socks from "Handknit Holidays" to wear around the house. Late last fall he discovered they were developing holes in the heels so while we were in Colorado for Christmas we visited Shuttles Spindles and Skeins where I picked up some comfy slipper bottoms. I knit the last pair with Cascade Ecological wool which seemed to wear out pretty quickly so this time I'm using Lamb's Pride worsted in hopes the mohair will make them a bit sturdier. This will be my first time using the slipper bottoms, they look so comfy and warm!

Tidying up

Jason took the day off yesterday and spent most of the day working out in the yard raking and doing a final mow. I weeded the garden and turned the soil with a garden fork discovering two thumbelina carrots in the process. Out front I deadheaded all the flowers trimmed the perennials and severely pruned the  honeysuckle and sweet autumn clematis so that we can again see the light from the lamp post. That pile of clippings is only about 1/3 of what I cleaned out of the front gardens.

After all that yard work a hearty dinner was in order. I killed two birds with one stone by making lasagna which Daniel had requested earlier in the week. I don't really follow a recipe for lasagna anymore and I cheat and use the no boil noodles which make it a much shorter and easier process. For this batch I sauteed an onion and a few cloves of garlic with some bulk Italian sausage adding some pizza seasoning with a boost of oregano. I layered that into my Dutch oven with the noodles, canned crushed tomatoes and tomato sauce, ricotta mixed with an egg some parsley and some basil and seasoned with black pepper and salt, and mozzarella cheese. On the top I used a veg peeler to add some Parmesan cheese. The Dutch oven is an oval shape so I had to break noodles to get things to fit. It turned out to be one of the better lasagnas I've made, I think because I used more sauce than usual and I baked it for 30 minutes with the lid on before removing that and browning up the top. Delish!

Spinning pal

Over the last year one of my local knitting friends has also become a spinner. This has been great for me because I'm a lot more likely to get out to spinning events if I have someone to go with. Last night we went to the local spinning guild and I worked on some roving she'd gifted me. It's purportedly romney but it's qualities aren't romneyish enough so we think it's a romney cross of some sort. I have about 8 ounces of it and no particular plan. Mayhap a pair of gloves.

Welcome back sun!

It's been a little rainy here this week but yesterday the sun broke through the clouds and you could almost hear singing.

Apron strings

Yesterday's task was to sew up an apron as a gift. I'd already cut out the pieces on Friday deciding to alter the pattern to make the apron reversible.

The tortoise

The manos scarf has been creeping along a few rows each time I pick Daniel up from school. I recently reached the halfway mark when I joined my second ball of yarn. This is the "Feeding ducks holding hands" pattern.

One thing led to another

A few weeks ago someone in the Button Addicts forum on Ravelry mentioned Wood Turner's Etsy shop as a good source for lovely handmade wooden buttons. The first thing I spotted when I followed the link to his shop was his wands and I was struck by how much they resembled the shawl pin I bought at the Wisconsin Sheep and Wool festival. I'd been disappointed that most of those pins had a shiny finish and bought one of the few with a matte finish so I wrote to him and asked if he would be able to make a miniature version of his wand. A conversation ensued and I sent a few pictures showing the one I had and explaining that I was hoping for a bit more length, a less sharp point and in particular I wanted a very dark one and a very light one since I had a medium brown one already. He did an amazing job and actually reworked them at one point because I was not specific enough with my request. They  were only $8 apiece which I think is a steal, even more so that I have them in my hot little hands. He also included a lovely letter with background information on the trees these pins were made from. I think it's especially cool that one of these trees grew at the northern end the Mississippi river and I used to live in Baton Rouge at the southern end. If you need shawl pins or buttons I highly recommend Charlie's shop, just tell him Stoneview Julie sent you.

On Point

Last spring I picked up a budget diz at the CT Sheep and Wool festival and then I found a budget hackle at the NH Sheep and Wool festival. It's a tool I've been thinking about since I began spinning but never quite fit into my budget.  It's been sitting quietly in it's new home atop the sewing room shelf waiting until Debbi mentioned that she'd like to use it. I figured I'd better make sure I knew how use the durn thing and realized I needed to make a threader for the diz.

I knew exactly what I wanted to blend. A few years ago I bought a kit  that contained silk and angora to be blended into roving. I added some lovely merino to the mix as well and attempted to card the fibers together. This was perhaps not the best choice of fibers to learn hand carding with and it was a less than satisfactory experience though I did spin up a little of the blend. It was a painstakingly slow process and I don't think I did a good job getting the fibers blended.

As a result the rest of the fiber has just been sitting and patiently waiting. I found the hackle very easy to use, just as I'd seen when it was demo'd back in May. Here's a lovely little pile of roving that took only moments to create. I still need to spin a bit up but it already looks a great deal better than my attempts with hand carding.

Stick to your ribs

Part of Sunday's sock swap was a potluck dinner. I wanted to make gumbo but as that's unfamiliar for many folks in this area I toned it down a bit. One diner doesn't like green peppers, a necessity for gumbo, so I sub'd orange and red. Instead of a spicy tasso or andouille I sub'd a mild kielbasa and I used a good deal less seasoning than would be normal and only a teensy bit of garlic. To make up for what I expected to be a resultant lack of flavor I used a whole chicken and it's cooking liquid. Hopefully no Yankee palettes were damaged in the tasting of my gumbo. ;) I have to say, I really liked the extra flavor from the whole chicken and will probably do that in my future gumbos tame or not.

Gumbo tamed

1 whole chicken, 5 or 6 pounds
1/3 cup vegetable oil (or butter or fat of your choice)
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
4 ribs celery, chopped
2 bell peppers, chopped
1 large sweet onion, chopped
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning
2 or 3 quarts liquid (stock or water work well)
1 package kielbasa, sliced
1 bunch chopped parsley
1 bunch chopped green onions
hot cooked long grain rice

Place the chicken in a Dutch oven and cover with water and a pinch of salt. Bring to a simmer and cook for an hour. Remove from heat and reserve cooking liquid. Pick all the meat from the chicken discarding fat, skin and bones. Set aside.

Combine oil and flour in a large stockpot over medium heat and cook with constant stirring until mixture is the color of chocolate. Stir in the celery, bell peppers and onion and cook 5 or 10 minutes more or until veggies are soft. Add garlic and cook just until fragrant. Pour in liquid and stir vigorously until well mixed. Add all remaining ingredients except right. Bring to a light simmer and cook at least 30 minutes more. Serve over rice with Tabasco and gumbo file if desired.