Stoneview

To wet to go out, too cold to play ball

Yesterday while the rain came down I pulled out the spinning wheel and worked on a corriedale fleece purchased at Rhinebeck a few years back. This is the 3rd prize winner for that year and since I wasn't feeling well Madame Purl valiantly fought her way through a barn full of crazed spinners to come out with fleeces for both of us. It's about time I put this fleece to good use!

and when it rains

  For the most part, I cook during the week and Jason cooks on the weekends but there are a few things that are exceptions to the rule. Jason generally does the grilling (except for pulled pork which is my dish) and I generally do any pastry type activities. When he decided to bake a pie this weekend that meant that I did the crust for him. We don't bake pie very often and I think it shows. I have some crust shields but I forgot to put them on until quite late. It seems as if the oven temp in recipes is always too low in our hands so it takes much longer for the filling to get hot and bubbly. I forgot to make enough dough for a double crust so we just had some scraps on top there. All that said, it was really delicious!

I'm also beginning to knit a little bit again. In preparation for knitting with the group again I've cast on a mindless and not secret knitting project. This is Socks that Rock in the Nodding Violets colorway on size one needles. The pattern is Simple Skyp Socks.

While the sun shines

I know the rest of the country is baking but it's still mostly cool and rainy here. Yesterday the sun came out for most of the day so I picked greens for dinner. The neighbor cats are really loving the catnip and definitely spend more time lounging in the back yard. Fluffy, who lives across the street, found a cool spot of shade from which to observe the activity. We delayed our errands and took care of yard work in the morning since thunderstorms were forecast for the afternoon. Other parts of the state got pounded but we were lucky enough to have sun all day. In the afternoon I cut another stack of lavender and made some more lavender wands. I'm saving the leaves to make sachets to tuck into my yarn shelves to discourage nasty critters from taking up residence.

Mad scientist

Yesterday I had several recipes to try out in the lab err kitchen. I'd ordered some lanolin from Snowdrift Farms and some of the recipes were geared to use it. I made my own wool wash with lanolin, lavender essential oil and Castille soap.  I tried a homemade shampoo with Castille soap and a bit of almond oil for conditioning. The main attraction though was a hand cream recipe using lanolin and almond oil as the main ingredients. It's definitely a bit of magic when you add a tiny bit of borax and it turns from clear to foamy white. I had to pour it out quickly as it really does set up fast. It's a wee bit tacky and it takes 5 or 10 minutes to really absorb but my hands feel nice and smooth. I think it would be wonderful for spinning or knitting with something really snaggy. It does smell like witch hazel when you first put it on but that dissipates in moments. Fun stuff!

Blogger to the rescue

QuilterSal wrote to me with some great tips for hand quilting so things are improving already. After her helpful tips I stopped at the store and picked up some betweens (shorter needles for hand quilting) and a new thimble to try. I'm about 3/4 of the way around with my first row of quilting. A bit of research informed me that this should be a "stitch in the ditch" row so I've moved it a shade closer to the applique, after this the rows will be space about 3/8-inch apart. Thanks for the tips Sally!

We did brave the rain on Tuesday to make it to the grand opening of the farmers market this season. We had some lovely halibut on Tuesday, some fresh spinach and goat cheese ravioli on Wednesday and last night we had beets and broccoli with our baked potatoes. I roasted off some garlic along with the potatoes for the most amazing baked potato ever. Why didn't I think of that sooner? While the potatoes baked I pinched off a little catnip for the girls who were blissed out, except for Gabby who we swear thinks she's a dog. She wasn't interested in the catnip at all.

The test goes on

I am well chuffed with the gusset since the designer had had some trouble getting it to do what she wanted and I was able to fix that. Now I'm having trouble at the top of the mitten though because it's not working for me as written. If I use a k2tog decrease as instructed I get a little line of dark yarn across the light but if I use k2togtbl my decrease points the wrong way. I'll have to tromp through my knitting books in search of a solution. (Suggestions are also very welcome!)

A sprinkle a day...

makes for a happy garden. Things are growing like crazy with the mild damp weather. The sweet peas are just about to burst into bloom and the daylilies are doing very nicely. We'll have English peas ready to eat by the weekend though they've covered over the green beans so we may not get any of those. The first few morning glories are peeking out but I never can seem to get a good photograph of such saturated color. We're told the sun will come out tomorrow and I'm sure the garden will be happy with that too!

Testing, testing, 1, 2, 3...

I'm doing a little test knitting for a friend who knows how much I enjoy colorwork. I haven't done a lot of mitten knitting so it's fun to dip my toes into that again. The picot cuff was a bit tough on my hands but after that it's "big"needles and yarn so it's easy peasy. The hardest part is to restrain myself from knitting straight through to the end but I'm sticking to short spurts for just a little while each day.

It's all in a day

Yesterday we headed into Boston for an afternoon Red Sox game but the MFA was having another open house so we planned to visit there in the morning. As has become usual for us we walked from the MFA through the fens to Fenway and visited the rose garden as we passed by. The cool rainy spring has made this the loveliest visit to the rose garden yet. Of course, the cool rainy weather also made for a very chilly damp ball game which we did not manage to finish. The chill in the air really made my jaw ache so we left int he middle of the 7th inning and beat a hasty retreat home via the liquor store and Whole Foods. We had a really fantastic seafood dinner complete with clams and scallops braised in white wine with garlic, shallots and tomatoes. I think that will be visiting our table more often! You can find a full set of photos over on Flickr here.

Tin roof basted

Yesterday I popped into the sewing store for some batting so I could get started on the quilting part of this Hawaiian quilt block. I cut a piece to size and pinned the layers together in preparation for basting. It wasn't long before I was able to start working on the echo quilting. I've never done hand quilting before so my stiches are pretty wonky and large. I also need to search for a better thimble, the one I have isn't snug enough so I quit using it which has resulted in a sore bruised finger.

Nurse for a day

On Thursday I had the first stage of a dental implant done in the space where the cracked problem tooth used to reside. I now have a screw installed in the bone and we must wait three months to see if it bonds with the bone properly. Every step of the way since the cracked crown back in November I've been told it shouldn't hurt more than a day or two and every time that's been wrong but this time it was really true. It sounds pretty awful but it was over in 20 minutes and there is minimal swelling and pain. I can't brush or chew on that side for two weeks so I'm starting off with quite soft food while the gum and bone begin to heal. Gabby has appointed herself nursemaid and I'm eating mushy stuff like yogurt, pudding and this dish I made for lunch which is pureed potato, broccoli and shallot with a bit of creme fraiche mixed in. The worst part is the antibacterial rinse that mucks up your taste buds so things taste wonky but it's only for a few weeks, not bad at all.

Fluff-n-stuff

The fleeces I bought at NH Sheep and Wool have returned from Spinderella's where they got a nice wash and were carded into roving. Madame Purl and I split a fleece and had it blended with 25% silk and that has turned out just beautifully. When the shepherd sent lock samples she'd admired Beau's lustre and mentioned it would be nice blended with silk. Mme Purl was generous enough to share half the fleece with me and Spinderella's was good enough to process it all as one and then split the cost between us as well as divide it and ship it with each of our orders. Tarragon had blown her coat for a month this year and her shepherd was concerned about how dirty the fleece was but it's washed up beautifully and is just as lovely as ever.

Your house is not on fire

Yesterday I spotted some red critters on the honeysuckle and wondered if I had some new pest I needed to get rid of. On closer inspection I thought I might be seeing various stages of the ladybug life cycle and in fact that does seem to be the case. I'm quite happy to have them hatching in my yard as they have a great appetite for other less desirable garden critters.

Despite the drizzle I had to get some peony pictures as well. They are at peak bloom and the largest one is the size of a salad plate!

Practice makes perfect

 

I've done another batch of lavender wands and I think these look a bit nicer than the first batch. A little practice never hurts. Today is the last clear day for awhile so I'd better cut a big heap and get busy!

A few folks sounded wistful about getting some lavender into their own gardens. It's becoming sort of a habit to divide the aloe and gift the little plantlets at sock swap gatherings but folks only need so many aloe plants. A quick Google revealed the fact that lavender is a plant which can be propagated via cuttings. The toughest part was to find non-blooming side shoots to cut but then it was only a matter of minutes to dip them in rooting hormone and pop them into the pot. I've never tried this with lavender before so it'll be interesting to see how it goes.

You just need to apply yourself

Yesterday I finished the applique on the Hawaiin quilt block. If you look closely the stitches spaced more widely represent my original work 17 years ago and the more closely spaces stitches are the modern ones. The directions call for 12-14 stitches per inch and you can see why, the carefully turned edges in the original work have pulled out in a few spot. Next I need to make the sandwich with the backing, batting and front and then begin the echo-quilting. It might be just the thing to help occupy my time as I recover from some dental work on Thursday.

Lavender for luck

Yesterday I put together a few lavender wands as well as a little tutorial. Each year it's a race to see how many I can get done before the flowers open. The rain is suppose to clear out today leaving it sunny until the weekend so hopefully I can do several more while the plants are dry. These are great tucked into your dresser drawers or your yarn/fiber stash.

You're turning violet, Violet!

The last few leaves have cooperated nicely and begun to sprout plantlets. The little tutorial says if I leave them be until the fall I may have violets to share so they'll stay in these little pots through the summer. The largest plantlets already appear to have more than one section. Anyone want a violet in the fall? I do have their names written on the sides of the pots so it's possible we can find pictures of what they will look like for those who care.

The rest of the garden is loving all this rain but it was nice to see the sun out all day yesterday and it gave me a chance for some photos. The pink double peony is just about to pop. The poor thing had to fight its way through the rhododendron branches this year so I think I may need to move it in the fall. The lavender is heavily in bud which means it's time for lavender wands. I managed to cut a bit last night while it was still dry so I can try a few today. Strawberries never did well for me in the strawberry pot bu the hens and chicks do very well indeed. It blooms for me every year.

I also tried another recipe from the Mesa Grill cookbook. I currently have 3 or 4 from the library and this one has been a big hit. These are grilled asparagus quesadillas with goat cheese and cojack topped with tomato jam and serrano cilantro yogurt. I changed a few things of course- the recipe calls for even more cheese in the quesadillas but these are cheesy enough without it for me. I used fresh tomatoes for my jam instead of canned. I added chopped fresh serrano peppers to the yogurt and I mixed my ground ancho into the yogurt because I pan fried my quesadillas (forgot to preheat the oven). That tomato jam is just amazingly good!

All buttoned up and no place to go

Yesterday I sewed up my giant stack of bookmarks and proceeded to pink around the edges of every single one. To seal the deal I sewed a button at the top of each one so that it won't slip too far down into the book. Voila, more bookmarks than even the most diehard bookworm could use.

Addictive?

  Yesterday I whipped out another 6 project bags in assorted sizes using scraps from Daniel's quilt as well as some I received as a gift recently (along with another one of these bags- love em!). I now have no excuse to cart things around in plastic bags. I also pre-assembled a large stack of bookmarks. The fabric has been cut for months. I ironed interfacing onto one side and then arranged the material in sandwiches ready for sewing.  I owe some of these to at least a few friends.

I was really delighted yesterday to see the neighbor cat, Stitchy, lounging about in the back yard. While I do love to watch the chipmunks scamper about, I also worry about them digging next to the bulkhead as it's supposed to be damaging to the house foundation. I've planted catnip in one of the patio pots in hopes of encouraging the neighbor cats to spend more time in our yard since our own cats are indoor only. It looks like my plan is working and I am now planning to buy a few more catnip plants for some of the other pots on the patio.

Project bags

For quite some time now I've been meaning to use various and sundry fabric scraps to make a slew of project bags in different sizes based on this shoe bag tutorial. Yesterday I finally got into the sewing room and put together a few. They are quick and easy and so much nicer than plastic bags for toting around projects. These two are quite large, big enough for a sweater type project.

Growing growing growing

It's been raining off and on which might bother some folks but the garden really loves it. The peas are going crazy at the back and have burst into bloom. We may be harvesting the first arugula by the weekend if I'm lucky and the rest of the plants are really doing well. I spotted a bloom on one of the tomato plants.

Not a finch

It's been awhile since I posted about the birds in our yard. This week I noticed someone odd at the finch feeder. Does this downy woodpecker know he's not a finch? In general I find the birds really don't care much for the rules in our yard. They quite often contradict the "rules". One of these days I'll get a photo of the tufted titmouse with a peanut stuck on his beak for you.

Topping it off

Yesterday morning we finished up the weekend with one giant batch of pancakes before guests started making their way home.

Pancakes

2 large eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons sugar
2 cups buttermilk
4 tablespoons melted unsalted butter
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 pinch salt

Whisk together the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Combine the wet ingredients in a small bowl then pour into the dry and stir just until mixed.

Preheat skillet over medium heat with a thin film oil. For each pancake spoon out about 1/4 cup batter with a ladle. Turn pancakes when tops are covered with bubbles and edges look cooked.

All about town

Yesterday we wanted to keep the house quiet so Daniel could sleep a bit after the all night party so we piled into cars and went off to the Higgins Armory. My family is a big fan of Renaissance Festivals so this was right up our alley. Favorites were the hands on room (Chris is putting glasses on over his helm) and the live demonstrations. They did a really great job explaining the weaponry and how it was used. The fighting demo was especially good, explaining the difference between Hollywood glitz and historically accurate fighting styles.

Daniel thought he'd be ready to go again by noon but in fact we had a really hard time getting him up at 5 for Hibachi grill dinner (his choice). It's been a long time since I've eaten this type of food since it's too heavy on the soy sauce and oil for me but it was a lot of fun and very entertaining. It was a bit hot with the sun right on us but it sure made for dramatic photos. I liked the onion volcano and the guys enjoyed playing catch with zucchini. The sun was also great for shadow puppets at the end of the meal.

The big day

Yesterday before graduation we had BBQ ribs (maybe there were some veggies too) to fortify us for speeches and a good long sit. Rain was predicted but didn't come and it was nice and cool. Despite Dan's grumbling beforehand I think he quite enjoyed it. He even smiled when Jason (stationed along the corridor where grads walked in) nearly missed getting a picture as he walked by. We saw Daniel grin and smack Jason with his program so the day was saved and we got our picture after all.

Afterward we sang Happy Birthday to the two boys and it took an amazingly long time for them to get all the candles blown out (and really they had it easy, technically there should have been 28 between them but I only used 12).  And before long Daniel was off to "Last Night" the party seniors have at the school from 10 PM until 5 AM.