Riches

My daughter Alyson has been on a spinning binge, and I am the happy beneficiary. A few weeks ago, just when her last full-time job went away she needed a project to occupy her oh-so-clever hands. She brought up from the basement a big vacuum bag (space bag) full of soft white roving, probably merino. So I said, “Knock yourself out” and she just went to town.

Ten or so days later, she had spun up every ounce into a soft, slightly irregular two-ply with an exquisite cashmere-like hand in creamy white. I had already cast on the diamond-shaped “Shoulder shawl in cherry-leaf pattern” from Jane Sowerby’s Victorian Lace Today.

After finishing the first project, she uncovered another bag containing mostly some fine grey finnsheep in a combed sliver. Two-ply again, but this time Alyson spun a smooth, lustrous worsted at 1000 yards per pound (knitting worsted weight).

The white yard averaged 1100 to 1150 YPP on my MacMorran yarn balance, so both are about a ‘light worsted’ weight. After the shawl, including a lace border, is knit up, there will be a lot of the white yarn left. I still haven’t decided what I’ll do with that.

The grey yarn is quite definitely lustrous, firm and compact. Right now, I’m considering making it up as cabled sweater or perhaps a vest.

Just look at these luscious balls of handspun!

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Knit on, in confidence and hope, through all crises! (EZ)

B-day Sox

Huzzah! Alyson knitted me socks for my birthday. The pictures cannot convey the soft plushiness I feel on my size 8 1/2s.

Check out the heel stitch and the generous gussets. Nothing but the best for me.

Jim cooked the dumplings for dinner.

For an after-dinner treat I made myself a low-sugar batch of shortbread topped with sugar-free chocolate.

It's snowing now. We are expecting another 10 to 20" over the 22" we got last Friday/Saturday. I'm sleeping in my sox tonight!

Comfort Food

Everybody in the co-op today was buying comfort food, so I got a four-pound chicken and proceeded to roast it casserole-style. Instead of Poulet en cocotte au Bonne Femme, I went for the simpler Casserole style and instead of Tarragon flavoring, I used Rosemary, which I vastly prefer.

I think tarragon tastes bitter and I have had enough of bitterness.

This is what I call 'informal serving' instead of fetching one's own from the filthy kitchen. Sauce flavored with sherry, peas and rice to accompany - it was real nice.

If I don't go to work tomorrow, I'll make chicken stock.

We are expecting another snowstorm tomorrow (my birthday) starting about noon and lasting 24 hours or more. Another 5 to 10 inches are expected on top of this (picture above: around the corner of the hose looking towards my neighbors yard, his three-bar fence half buried and his little SUV a mound) and more power outages anticipated.

Blessings on you, wherever you are. May you stay snug and comfortable - and safe.

snowbound - where are the sweets?

I'm not buying cookies or candy anymore, in an effort to get my eating/weight under control. That's why, when Jim asked if there were any cookies in the house last night, I baked him some shortbread.

2 oz. sugar, a stick of butter and six oz. flour. I used vanilla sugar and grated in some fresh nutmeg for flavoring. (Baked 35 minutes at 300 degrees, cool before breaking.)

It's quite good. So good, in fact, that I boxed up what was left and put it on his desk. Even before breakfast, it was calling my name.

Tonight, Roast Chicken Bonne Femme.

Cold night, warm soup

I'm ashamed that I haven't posted since before Christmas. And I made SUCH a great Christmas dinner, too.

But now, the first of February, I HAD to have some soup and make it quick. It's cold, snowy, icy and I didn't want to wallow in fat. I had onions and potatoes at home, also boxes of chicken broth, but no leeks. Thus, Leek-and-Potato Soup becomes Onion-Potato Soup and I made meatballs with ground turkey to up the protein count. No cream, butter or eggs, and nobody missed them.

I may have added too much herb seasoning to the meatballs, but they're palatable. Thyme, salt and pepper for the soup, which I made with half water and half boxed broth. I cooked it in the pressure cooker for five minutes and simmered it afterwards for 20.

Oh, yeah. I also added the last couple of tablespoons of chopped sorrel from the freezer. Yum.

Thank you, Julia, for the recipe. Thank YOU, Alyson, for the peeling and chopping. We make a good team.

Nut Cookies

Happy Birthday, James!

He's here. Safe home from China. Tomorrow is Jamie's birthday. We'll have homemade Gingersnaps (among other things).

Gingersnaps

Yield: 10 dozen

1 ½ cup shortening 4 teaspoons soda

2 cups brown sugar 2 teaspoons ground ginger

½ cup molasses 2 teaspoons cinnamon

2 eggs 1 teaspoon cloves

4 ½ cups flour more granulated sugar

Cream together; shortening, sweeteners and eggs, until light and fluffy. Sift together dry ingredients, stir into the creamed mixture. Form into small balls (1 – 1 1/2 “ dia.). Roll in granulated sugar and place 2 inches apart on a greased cookie sheet. Bake at 375° for 10 minutes.