Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Nancy's Shawl(ette)

A co-worker of mine is retiring this year.  She's spent her victory lap keeping me sane.  Since she's moving, in addition to moving on, I thought a Traveling Woman shawl would be appropriate.  This is designed so that she can throw it on and go.  I hope she loves it.



You'll have to forgive the exhausted nature of this post.  The school year ends June 1st, after which you can expect me to collapse, and THEN recommence blogging with a bit more energy.  Until then, here's a few more photos.






Told you there'd be more photos of my fence!

Sunday, May 16, 2010

Spinning from the last couple weeks

First up, the penultimate skein from our colorwheel project!  It's 100% corridale wool.  This is the skein from the crockpot.  I have yet to spin the top from the oven.


It's not exactly what I'd envisioned, but I think I like it.  The Monster is completely enamored.  I think I'll try and crochet it into a Queen Anne's Lace Scarf for her.  All 4 year olds need wild scarves.

Next is a skein I spun for a co-worker.  She's retiring this year and is a knitter!  She and I have plans to hang out next year and knit.  It's always nice to make things for people who understand them. 


The top was Spunky Eclectic's "Chocolate Covered Cherries" colorway.  I didn't think I'd like it as much as I do.  I'm hoping it has enough red in it for Jane.  

This next skein is for She To Whom He'd Best Propose (aka - my baby brother's girlfriend.)  She's completed her commitment to the United Stated Air Force and should have more free time on her hands in the coming months.  Also, she crochets.  You see why He'd Best Propose?  


The top was also Spunk Eclectic, in the Feb '09 club colorway of "New Day."  Not only are the colors something I think she'll like, but the name kinda fits.  I love it when yarn comes together!

Lastly we have Spunky Eclectic Nov '09 club colorway "Istanbul Sunset."  I'm not actually a walking advertisement for Spunky Amy, I just have a LOT of her stuff.  And I like her.  And she's great.  Okay, maybe I'm a bit of an advertisement.  But in a good way, so it's okay. 


Hopefully, this skein will allow me to complete my Tappan Zee cardigan.  I'm doing evenly spaced rows of yarn overs instead of the diamond motif.  The lace was getting overwhelmed by the yarn.  My way is much better.  I promise to post pics when it's all done. 

Only two and half more weeks of school!  

Monday, May 10, 2010

Best Zucchini Bread EVER

I can be admittedly superlative much of the time.  But this time it's completely justified.

I rarely bake, as it usually ends in disaster.  This afternoon, after spending 45ish minutes in our tornado closet listening to the sirens go off, I needed some food-shaped comfort.  As impulse would have it, I had all the fixin's to satisfy a wicked craving for zucchini bread.  I whipped it up as I do most things, by tossing in whatever I had at hand, and it. is. unbelievable.   I started with Betty Crocker, as she tends to be a solid foundation, and improvised the rest.  It's dark like the night, surprisingly light as a feather, and not too sweet.



Drool-Worthy Zucchini Bread
3 cups shredded zucchini with all the juice
1 cup sugar in the raw
2/3 cup barley malt
2ish teaspoons vanilla
4 eggs
2 cups whole wheat flour
2 cups (ish) white flour
2/3 to 1 cup ground flax meal
2ish teaspoons baking soda
1 heaping teaspoon salt
1 heaping teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cloves
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
3/4 teaspoon baking powder

1. Preheat oven to 350.  Move bottom rack to lowest position so that tops of loaf pans will be in the middle of the oven.  Grease the bottoms of two 8x4 inch bread pans.

2. In large bowl, mix wet ingredients throughly.  Stir in dry ingredients making sure the batter remains fairly wet and pours easily.

3. Pour evenly into two loaf pans and bake 50-60 mins.  Cool in wire rack.

4. Gorge.

Sunday, May 9, 2010

With regards to Roy...

In the past few weeks, it's become painfully obvious that we need to pay more attention to turning our children's considerable powers more strongly toward good and further away from evil.

With this in mind, we've been striving to do more enrichment activities at home.  I'm slightly worried that this will simply enhance their secret-volcano-base-building powers, but I'm willing to take the risk.  At least for right now.

In yesterday's adventure, the Monster and I explored color...and fiber.  It was glorious.  We thought you'd like to play along.

First, assemble out cast of characters: food coloring in the primary colors, vinegar and water, pre-soaked Corriedale fiber ready in the roasting pan.







We discussed, at length, how the primary colors are the basis (basically) for all other colors.  We covered reflection and refraction and rainbows last week.  As that discussion was largely concerned with theory, you're going to have to be satisfied with a total lack of photographic evidence.  

In any case, make sure that all 4 year olds take detailed notes throughout the lesson.  The circles are for primary colors.  


Once a comprehensive internalization of primary colors has occurred (approximate time: 10.6 seconds) use food coloring in the waiting vinegar/water mixture to demonstrate secondary colors. 


These are in the correct arrangement.  You're going to have to take my word for it.  Minus Indigo.  We went straight from Blue to Violet.  Sorry Roy, food coloring can only do so much. 

Again, make sure all 4 year olds are taking accurate notes.



When all the colors have been mixed, pour them onto the waiting fiber, mushing the color in throughly so that it goes all the way through.  When YOU do it, make sure you put the blue and the purple in the right order.  It's also helpful if you don't pour the green all the way over the yellow, which has a tendency to obscure said yellow.  Fortunately, 4 year olds are not super worried about such minor details. 


Bake at 350 for an hour or two, or until the water runs clean.  The vinegar will help the food coloring permanently stain the fiber.  I use about 2 cups for this much fiber (5ish oz.) to help the color remain vibrant.  Less vinegar will give your colors more of a pastel appearance.  


Ta Da!!!

We were a little bummed about getting the order wrong, so we tried a slightly different version (using our handy dandy notes) with some easter egg dye tablets and the crock pot.  Presoak the fiber in a vinegar/water mixture in the crockpot for about 20 mins.  Place 2 blue tablets, 2 red tablets, and 2 yellow tablets at roughly equally spaced intervals around the edge of the fiber.  Like so:


Set the crockpot on medium or low.  If the water starts to boil it will felt your fiber.  We're going on a more basic mixing theory here.  Namely that, as the color spreads, it will mix on it's own to form secondary colors.  Clever, aren't we?  


Seems to be working!



Verrrrrry satisfying.  





Thursday, May 6, 2010

Actual yarn content!

Just like a REAL yarn blog!

We'll start with yarn.  I'm a member of two fiber clubs: Hello Yarn Fiber Club and Spunky Eclectic.  Each month, 16oz. of fiber (type and colorway chosen by the dyer) arrives on my happy little doorstep.  Anyone needing a monthly pick-me-up should really look into this.

Today I'll just post pictures of yarn and works in progress, but I promise to post a discussion of different fibers and spinning techniques in the near future.  Just 4 more weeks of school and then I'm free!


Here is a truly terrible photo of two different club colorways on my "industrious kate."  The left two bobbins are "Ooh La La Tropi-Cal" from Spunky Eclectic's february offering in Blue Faced Liecester.  The rightmost bobbin in "Garland" by Hello Yarn in Targhee.   The color is fairly accurate for both.  

 

This is a shot of "Ooh La La" in the beginning stages of being plied.  You'd never know it from the picture, but this is actually the same colorway as in my banner photo.  




This is "Garland" on the bobbin.  Targhee is a close cousin of Merino, so this will floof up quite a bit after it's plied and washed.  I'll post finished pics when I have them.  




This is two skeins of "Navajo Gems" in merino, and one giant skein of "Kentucky Derby" in Norwegian wool, both by Spunky Amy.  Oooh!  Aaaah!

And that will have to hold you for now, dear readers, as I have a house to clean and hors d'oeuvres to make, and company to entertain.