This Morning

 

 

 

 

 

On the needles:



 

 

Pattern: Honey Cowl by Madelinetosh

Yarn: Illimani Yarn Royal 1

Colour: A3060

Needles: Circular - 5.0 mm

 

This doesn't look much like a cowl at present but the pattern has been so popular on Ravelry (over 14,000 made!) that I trust it will be very cowl-like indeed when it comes off the needles! This is the first time I have used Illimani alpaca and it is lovely. It doesn't split, frogs with great forgiveness, and has the soft drape and luxurious feel that you expect from an alpaca yarn.

 

And off the needles at long last:

 

 

Pattern: Stocking stitch

Needles: Circular - 2.25 mm.

Yarn: Lorna's Laces Solemate; Colour: Jeans

Yarn: Cascade Heritage Solids and Quatro; Colour: 5604

Yarn: Cascade Heritage Solids and Quatro; Colour: 5651

 

I started this sock project in the spring of 2013 but kept putting it aside. It feels good to finally get the socks finished.

While I like Lorna's Laces yarns, I don't like the way the variegated colours pool with sock knitting. I tried a variety of sock patterns  (Ravelry has lists of patterns that minimize pooling) with no success. Finally, I decided to alternate one row of Lorna's Laces Solemate Jeans colour with one row of a leftover solid Cascade Heritage baby blue. And used Cascade Heritage Denim colour for the cuffs, heels, and toes.

I am not thrilled with the socks but feel I have made good use of the yarn.

 

 

Here's the kind of card that every knitter would like to see under the Christmas tree - a gift card from Have A Yarn in Mahone Bay. The design and sketch is by Heather Tunnah herself. I was actually lucky enough to get two - one for a Fair Isle knitting class and one for a Double Knitting class. I was never much interested in double knitting until I saw some of the finished projects in the shop. One is called a sock but, to me, is thick enough and cosy enough to be a slipper.

 

Christmas has been put away for another year. The house seems bare now without the trees and candles, etc. There are just fond memories...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Uncle Floyd and The Christmas Mice

This past Christmas was a very special one for us as it was the first time in years that the entire family was all together. And it was a white Christmas - a very white Christmas! - though so bitterly cold (many, many degrees below normal for December) that it was often difficult to stay outdoors for very long.

One night at the supper table, I played a joke on our little granddaughters. I leaned into the gathering, lowered my voice, and confided in them all that we had an infestation of mice in the kitchen. (Isa, God love her, murmured, "It happens.") I said it was so bad that there were even mice in the refrigerator! And since it was time to fetch dessert, I was nervous that something might jump out at me when I opened the fridge door.

Coming back into the dining room with a container of truffle mice, the sheer look of horror on Granddaughter L.'s face when she spotted the mice in the box was a sight to behold. And in a few seconds, as she focused on the container and realized the mice were not real, the horror was replaced with laughter.

She was a good sport about being fooled. Later in the holiday, we were reading The Fantastic Mr. Fox by Roald Dahl. Three obnoxious farmers were attempting to shoot and kill the wily fox and I asked her if she minded scary stories. "No", she answered promptly. "Because the bad guys always die or go away and the good guys stay healthy." Wise child.

When we were preparing to visit Uncle Floyd on Boxing Day, we decided that we would play the same joke on him. But Uncle Floyd turned the tables on us!

We took the container of truffle mice to his house. When we stepped over the threshold, Granddaughter L. wished him a Merry Christmas and proceeded to tell him how we had rats at the house (she figured that hyperbole was needed at this point to make sure the joke went well!)

Uncle Floyd took the news very seriously, but as we expanded on the story, and she explained that we brought some rats to show him, as the problem was very, very bad and, if he saw them, perhaps he could tell us what to do about it, I could see a tiny flicker of awareness in his expression though he remained poker faced throughout.

He took the container from her, slowly lifted the lid, stared inside for a long time, looked down at her, and announced emphatically, "I know exactly what to do with these guys. I'll take them into the kitchen, fill the sink with water, and drown them!"

And for the second time this Christmas, little L. was horror stricken!

Good times.

It Is Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas

From the Father Christmas Festival In Mahone Bay:

 

On the veranda of the post office

 

At a local bed and breakfast

 

At a local spa

 

At the Have A Yarn store

 

To the crowded Saturday morning Seaport Market in Halifax

 

 

 

To the garden

 

 

 

 

 

And the house

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Last of the Autumn Browns

 

 

 

Pattern: K3P1 ribbing

Yarn: Fortissima Socka

Colour: 1083

Needles: Circular - 2.25 mm

 

And in Christmas preparations:

 

 Tourtière

 

 

I have been using the same pie crust recipe for decades.  It is called Nun's Pastry because it was taught in a cooking course at a Montreal cooking school run by nuns. It uses lard, not shortening, and it is no fail. It always rolls out beautifully and always makes a perfect, tender pie crust.

 

 

This recipe appeared in a 1970's Canadian Living Magazine special Christmas recipe edition.

The ground pork filling is aromatic with ingredients like summer savory, onions, garlic, and cloves.

 

I normally don't use an egg glaze on my pastry but it somehow suits a meat pie.

 

 

I love the silicone pie rim. No more burnt edges on an otherwise lovely crust!

 

 

And voilà!

Traditional French Canadian Tourtière for Christmas.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pease Porridge Hot

Pease porridge hot, pease porridge cold,

Pease porridge in the pot, nine days old;

Some like it hot, some like it cold,

Some like it in the pot, nine days old

 



A few weeks ago, I read an interesting article in a British newspaper, The Guardian, on how to make perfect porridge. The author points out that the body digests oatmeal slowly, allowing for a release of energy over a longer period of time, and a fuller feeling. 

 

I feel far more virtuous after consuming a bowl of homemade porridge than I ever did eating boxed, processed cereals.

 

Coincidentally, around the same time as the article appeared, Movita asked me how I made porridge when the children were growing up as she had a yen for it again. Her sister also still enjoys an occasional bowl. Well, I don't make it quite like I used to (rolled oats, brown sugar, a beaten egg, etc.). For one thing, tastes change over the decades. And for another, better ingredients are more readily available around here now. Years ago, it was not possible to pop to the store and pick up steel cut oatmeal or Demerara sugar.

 

And as you can see if you read the article, there are many different approaches to cooking porridge and you have to find the blend of ingredients and techniques that suit you personally.

 

 

I start with Scottish oats. Or Scottish or Irish steel cut oats. They seem more substantial and less gluey when cooking than regular rolled oats.

 

 

The proportions of liquid to oatmeal can vary.

I use 1/2 cup water, 1/4 cup of milk, and 1/4 cup of oatmeal for a ratio of 3:1.

 

A dash of cinnamon

 

 

A wee pinch of salt

 

Bring to a boil, stirring to prevent lumps. Then let simmer gently, stirring occasionally, for 5-8 minutes (longer if using steel cut oatmeal).

 

 

Add a bit of additional milk if the porridge seems to be getting too thick.

 

 

Place hot porridge in a bowl and top a sprinkling of Demerara sugar

 

Add cold milk to form a moat around the hot porridge and enjoy!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Best Salad Ever - And It's With Kale!

I've mentioned before how much I love the produce from Ironwood Farm. Yesterday, Movita arrived with another Ironwood box of good things - including beautiful bags of baby spinach and kale.
I looked at a number of recipes for kale salad and then devised my own, based on the research, and the ingredients on hand. It turned out to be one of the best salads we have ever eaten!

 Kale Salad Recipe:

Four servings:
About five cups of kale, chopped into very small pieces and massaged to release the aroma of the fresh greens and to soften the texture
Manzanilla olives, sliced
Two small tomatoes, coarsely diced
1/4 cup chopped red onion
2/3 cup toasted walnut pieces
Small red pepper, diced
Feta cheese, about a two inch cube, crumbled

Dressing:
I made up a mixture of 1/4 cup olive oil, 1 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar, 1/4 tsp. black pepper and tossed the salad with enough to moisten adequately.

And here's another pair of socks - basic, timeless tweed.

 

Pattern: K4P2 Ribbing
Yarn: Trekking Tweed
Colour: 260
Needles: Circular - 2.25 mm

I have wanted to start a pullover for myself for ages, using this lovely yarn I purchased at a yarn store in Lille, France that Isa urged me to explore, but somehow I always end up starting another pair of socks! I swear that any day now, I will settle on a pattern size and cast on a turtleneck for the winter. This yarn is a blend of wool, silk, rayon, and cashmere.

Golden Girl gave me Amy Herzog's Knit To Flatter - a marvellous book about choosing the right size, style, amount of negative or positive ease, etc. to produce a sweater that fits well and flatters. I am going to use that as my guide.