Sometimes one has to put on hold one’s commitment to reduce the amount of sugar in one’s diet…
…just for a day (or two). Happy Valentine’s Day.
The Advantages of Being Confined to a Chair
OK, “confine” is probably too strong of a word to use, but my radius of travel has definitely decreased, as well as the frequency with which that travel occurs. I will still be resting for another week, my employer graciously allowing me to do as much work as possible from the comfort of our home.
Besides working from home, I am so glad that, one, I have a single treadle spinning wheel, and two, my right leg is unaffected. That results of which are shared below:
These are two, somewhat equal, skeins of superwash merino. The roving was dyed in a 4 oz. bump. I split the roving lengthwise and spun a three-ply (navajo) yarn with 150 yards on one, and 160 yards on the other skein. Virginia, barely waiting for the yarn to dry from setting, has already started a pair of socks with this.
Finished yesterday, this fun skein was spun from a 50/50 blend of merino/tencel top. It’s my first time spinning with tencel… not sure what to think. If it’s supposed to be a substitute for silk, I’ll take the silk. Still, fun colors, a gratifying little project, and the 190 yards from a 3 oz. bundle will make a funky scarf.
Lest you begin to worry about the lack of socks being posted, Virginia, filling a special order for someone wanting to show his support for the Vikings (even in post season), knit these using SmartYarn.
I suspect there will be more spinning content in the next several days. For the record, though, I am starting to get a bit behind at work, so this coming week will be a good test of will power and discipline.
No Pain, No Gain
So I’ve been confined to my house/chair for a week due to a, still to be explained, hip injury. There for a couple of days I wasn’t moving a whole lot, and between doses of vicodin and muscle relaxants there was a lot of time. I really had no excuse but to finish up some languishing projects.
After five years, I finally get to move this quilt from basket to bed top.
We decided for our third anniversary that we should put together a quilt. Well, we’re nearing our eighth and it’s finally done. Look closely, those stitches are all hand-quilted (but, don’t look too closely, my stitches per inch are probably best read as inches per stitch… ok, maybe not that bad).
The problem with taking this long to quilt a queen-sized blanket is that you don’t develop the calluses on your finger tips. So, along with a sore hip, I have a couple of sore fingers.
It sure is nice to have it done. The several quilt ideas we have in the cue are now this much closer to becoming reality.
Not only did I finish the quilt, I was also able to spin through the rest of my llama (injury on left hip, so right leg perfectly capable of treadling).
This was a 14 oz. bat of dehaired llama. In total I spun 860 yards of 2-ply yarn. With the exception of spinning from a bat (a first for me), this acted pretty similarly like alpaca. It’s warm and soft like alpaca, too.
I’m sure there will be more projects in the near future, as I’m still recovering and requested by the doctor to stay close to home… and there’s only so much bad, daytime TV one can watch.
Cable Sweater
Virginia loves Rowan’s Scottish Tweed Aran, and lucky for me she found a sweater pattern (from Rowan’s “Knitting for Him,” by Martin Storey) that provided ample opportunity to work with the yarn… both ample in time and yarn. I think she’d be able to make two sweaters for herself for every one she makes me. So I doubly appreciate it when she does make one for me.
This is also the start of her renewed goal of finishing a big project a month. This counts for January.
I love the cabley texture. It’s also the perfect weight for me–not too bulky, not too fine.
Cookuits, revisited… again
You are all probably tired of reading about my pursuit of the perfect, healthful cookuit (as mentioned in an earlier post, they’re not quite buscuits, they’re not quite cookies). Don’t despair, though, there is some knitting content at the tail end of this post.
The ingredients are fairly similar to my previous attempt, but with a couple of key differences–slightly more liquid, and the order in which ingredients are combined. These are definitely less dense, more cake-like.
Combine these ingredients in small bowl:
1/4 cup canola oil
1 cup kefir
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup chopped dates
Combine these ingredients in bowl:
3/4 cup oat flour
1/4 cup rolled oats
1/4 cup chestnut flour
1/2 cup white flour
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/3 cup golden raisins
Mix dry and wet ingredients together, being careful to not overmix. For each cookuit, spoon about 1/2 cup batter onto baking sheet. Bake for 25 minutes at 375ยบ. Makes 9 cookuits.
Promised Knitting Content
Virginia finished a pair of socks for me, using some of her leftover Cestari yarn. I’m wearing these right now. I love how toasty these make my feet.
