2007 Socks Done

Not exactly down to the wire. I knitted the sock on my left foot last winter, casting on the first stitches on Jan 1, 2007. My intention was to finish the pair by the end of the year. The second sock was completed at 8:53 pm CST tonight, Dec 31, 2007. So I followed my rule in this little game I'm playing with myself, and I have a new pair of socks.

However, I have learned that I should do one of the following: (1) not wait almost a year before knitting the second sock, especially if I don't (2) take the first sock along so I can see what I did because I didn't (3) make better notes. A close view will show some discrepancies between sock #1 and sock #2. Dobby socks again!

Now I'll go swatch. I've been thinking long and hard about what my 2008 socks will be. Tomorrow I'll know for certain what they'll be. And a final "cuteness" photo for 2007 - a rare occurrence with all three snoozed up close to each other.

My Favorite Holiday Moment

Gillian asked me if she could knit.

Mason Dixon Recipe Box

Boy, was this a trip down memory lane! The challenge is to post a photo of my recipe box. I have two, so I chose the vintage 70's model, which I think had something to do with a Campbell's Soup promotion. Or some kind of promotion.

As I wandered through the box, I saw pieces of letters from my mother, responses to my questions of "Mother, how did you cook butter beans?" or "Mother, tell me how you made the Italian sausages with green peppers." Got me all teary-eyed, too. Mother has been gone since 2000, but here are her instructions to her newly married daughter living far away from home in the early 1970's. The same daughter who didn't learn to do it while she could have hands-on help in the kitchen. Anyhow....

Note the slanted front. That's so one can insert a recipe card in a slot under the clear plastic top (see through), then slant the box so the recipe is readable and protected while one cooks.

Most of my recipes looked more like this, so the plan didn't work all that well for me.

The photographed recipe is one for Moroccan Chicken (Lemon Chicken - Poulet Citron) that I got from my husband's family. They lived in Morocco when Dad-in-law was attached to the US Embassy there.

I present the recipe below. Note that it doesn't tell you to drain the salt water from the lemons before using them in the recipe. You should do that! And you need to prepare the lemons at least a month ahead of time.

Poulet Citron

3 boxes chicken parts (9 to 12 pieces)

3 TBSP olive oil

1 jar green olives, with pits

1 tsp crushed saffron

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/4 tsp cinnamon

4 lemons, pickled *

Cook chicken in oil for about 30 minutes, shaking pot to coat chicken well. Add rest of ingredients and simmer until chicken is tender, 1.5 to 2 hours. Slivered almonds may be added toward end of cooking time (1/2 to 1 package).

* Lemons: Cut 4 lemons into quarters, put in a jar, almost covering with water. Add 1 TBSP salt for each whole lemon. Grease lip of jar lid (easier to open later). Shake each day until salt dissolves. Store 4 weeks or longer before using in the recipe.

Rib Warmers - What Else?

Considering I've been teaching a workshop at The Yarn Patch (see link on sidebar), and knitting more for myself in the process, here are some of the results.

Here's Treva. Her's is knitted with Taos, a soft wool. She hasn't blocked it yet, so it will be a little longer when she's finished.

Here's Susan, also looking fabulous. Susan chose to crochet her edging.

Treva and Susan both work at The Yarn Patch and have been very helpful to me with my classes, as have all the shop employees. More photos of their finished rib warmers as soon as I can get them.

THIS is the one I had in "time out" for a few years because I had attached the I-cord too tightly, not once, but twice (Noro Silk Garden). Now that I know to make an I-cord swatch and attach based on the information it gives me, I was able to fix it. I left the original I-cord around the armholes, which I want to pull in some anyway, but replaced it around the perimeter. It's magic - I can wear it finally:

Speaking if I-cord magic, here are some photos of the green one that I knitted in September DiVe Autunno in the Chrysalis colorway) to hang in the shop. It got super stretched out after hanging up for a couple of months, so I brought it home and blocked it. I have completed the perimeter and one armhole. Check out the two armholes for a comparison - see how wonderful I-cord can be?

I-cord has been applied on my right armhole, but not on the left.

Here's the un-done armhole from the side.

And the completed armhole.

This is the black one (Harrisville Flax and Wool, which I LOVE) I made knitting along with my workshop students.

And since I'm showing off rib warmers, here are older ones: me in the Noro one I knitted for my cousin, and Nancy wearing the one I made for her in Manos.

Pictures After All, But Not Mine

Hooray for HollyMay! She took pictures. Go here:

http://www.waywardpeach.blogspot.com/

to see about the spinning and dyeing class at the Folk School. And read Holly's amusing account of her week.

Spinning Again

Of course, after returning from a week-long spinning and dyeing class at the John C. Campbell Folk School, how could I not be?? I immediately began on the mountain of colored rolags from last February's class, which I had been hoarding until I was "good enough." Well, I got enough confidence from the recent class that I've decided I was being too hard on myself. So I worked on it last night. See the full bobbin of color??

Also, the lovely natural colored yarn on the right bobbin is from Orchid's fleece, which I brought home from my Viking spinning class last winter. I lock washed Orchid in net bags, then flicked the locks and I'm spinning directly from those without further processing. Very satisfying to do.




















Here's the color from the recent class - slightly different, plus the addition of some lichen dyed fleece (that would be the whiskey gold color at the bottom of the photo).





















The yarn I actually made while in class.

I practiced process, not production, but I really learned a lot. What I am really pleased about is this little skein of Shetland, with which I learned to Navajo ply!



OK, I didn't take any pictures while I was there--again! I've just been too caught up in the atmosphere to remember to pull out the camera.