Knitting, soup and Bob Newhart

Here's the slow progress of the current  Sock Ministry socks, with the lingerie lingering in the background. The socks, being smaller needles and gauge, are harder on my neck, so it's much easier to pantknit. 

Under the socks you see a bit of the blanket I knitted for Handsome Partner long ago, still in use. The cats used to love this one, warm and fuzzy, and I still check for cats when I throw it off, force of habit.

And I found a large bag of carrots in the freezer, also some cooked butternut squash, so I made a pot of soup, enough for about six meals.  It's still soup weather. Sprig of curry leaves for extra flavor.

Northern Exposure is still going, and other people seem to be revisiting it, too, holds on it, so I can't renew. A couple of episodes after dinner, with hot chocolate, are just the ticket.

And I was reminded, by an internet friend yesterday,  of Bob Newhart's early stand-up, still funny after decades. I found some on YouTube. It's worth checking out. This was long before his TV series, which I think didn't really use his talent.

I have favorite routines, this one, the guard in his first night on the job at the Empire State building, when King Kong climbs it, trying to scare him away with a broom..

I'm told that in Danish, it's Kong King, because King in Danish is Kong. But don't ask me, I only blog here, and it might be Swedish.

Happy day everyone, find something to amuse you today, if possible, stressful times. Cleaners here today, so I'll be out on errands.

Just another neighborly Sunday

Yesterday, early, I blogged idly about what I might do all day, and in fact did all the things I listed.  Walked, made yogurt, knitted, read Pym.  I'm still following a poem a day from my Book of Pomes, but lately nothing very exciting to share with you, a lot of Victorian rhyming couplets, but I live in hope.

What I didn't have on my bingo card today was Gary dashing in, mid morning, to say his daughter was coming over to help him rewire something something Manchester meat balls, which entailed fishing many cables through something something fishcakes, and the ends were incompatible, wrong caps something, did I have anything in a range of up to 20 colors to color code something something.

Oh.  Trying to think what I had that covered a wide color range and could be taped or something to cables or something. I suggested beads, tiny ones. No? Oh wait, yarn!

So I ended up sorting a lot of yarn, more than I realized I had, in search of a big color range. He needed two pieces of each. Which I found, cut, and loosely tied so he could find the pairs.

 

Is this what people do on Sunday mornings, or what? Anyway he was very happy when I showed up with them and I hope they work.

I have bags of dedicated yarn, one lot  donated by and for the knitting ministry, one bag for knitting comfort dolls, one bag of hand wash only, two bags of cotton for my lingerie department with some eventually going to the knitting ministry. 

This project caused me to assemble it all in one place, to search, what a concept, then put it all together upstairs in actual drawers easier to search through than bags. So that was a Good Thing tm.

Speaking of the lingerie department

Pair two, for actual use is under way. Pair one was a test run to act as a pattern. Here I've enlarged the depth of the ribbing for a good fit.

I was thinking about social craft and art groups after our recent comments and observations. Groups take a long time to develop, and  depend on a person or two showing up faithfully to create a core. I've started a couple of artist groups and three knitting groups, all of which are still functioning. But it took years! 

The latest knitting group, of which I'm a starter member, at my local library I'm planning to stick with, even if it comes and goes. 

The other,  established Friday group, different library, I was a founder member, about eight years ago, when for many weeks it was just the library lady and me! 

If at least one member of the public hadn't shown up, the library would probably have stopped supporting it with staff time and space.  

The second one I helped get going, at yet another library, then it floundered during covid, when they ran it online for a while, which I kept up with, then it moved out to sit in the parking lot in all weathers, which I couldn't manage. 

The second group library lady stopped in to the Friday, first group, last week and told me it was still going! She and I  founded the Friday group before she transferred to a different library, and I helped her found the second group there. 

Which all means if you want a group you might have to start it and keep it going!  It also means it can be fun and if it's important, you won't mind helping build and establish it. 

This recital has more in common with all the cables needing color coding than I realized at first.. all the groups and libraries.. you need a spreadsheet to figure it out, color coded by library and chronology.

I think the secret to the friendliness of all these groups is that they're library based. They're a tax supported community service, meant to foster social connections.  I hear less happy reports about local yarn store groups,  who are more about wanting members to shop there for yarns and patterns, not to bring their own, well, it's a business, cliques developing, and generally more about promoting lessons than friendly groups. Different needs and motivation.

Happy day everyone, just shows when you're lying in bed wondering about your day, you might be surprised at how it develops.

Getting to spring

It's only February, and the beech leaves are still hanging in that pale gold a wonderful sight all winter

Yesterday I got out walking in bright sunshine, after a couple of days of rain and mud got in the way. And in a sheltered spot, the early daffodils are already up, a month before I expected to see them.

Back home my faithful chives are coming through for the umpteenth year in this pot, with no care at all other than to cut them when needed. Seeing them  reminds me I haven't made paneer in a while. I like a few scraps of chive on paneer.

And here are the snow drops, struggling, tiny blooms, but there, just a few of the dozens I planted

 

It's still cold enough for the rotini and spaghetti sauce I mentioned yesterday

 

Happy day, everyone, and here's a thought from the creator of Pogo

I'm writing this early, in bed, just considering the opportunities of the day. Maybe a walk. Reading more of A Few Green Leaves. Knitting. Reading a poem. Making yogurt. Possibly,  if I  can't decide, all of the above.

Knitting, iPod art, spaghetti sauce

Here's S's  current work in progress, full of texture, lovely to touch. She raises the bar for the whole Friday knitting group.

We all played with my woven cowl wrap thingie, and have not come up with a name for it, but someone did a search and found a knit similar to it, with a pattern. So I guess the designer had the same idea. 

R tried it on, proving it's a great unisex item, because he looked terrific in it, and liked how you can choose a few ways to wear it. He's thinking of crocheting one for himself.

Chat ranged over stain-lifting pens, Northern Exposure, eye doctors, mulberry trees, squirrels, grandchildren updates, back strap looms, donated yarn, posh French names for English food, when Norman French ruled, and peasant Anglo Saxon names for the same food, tiaras, diamonds, cufflinks, and book groups. Among other subjects.

I cooked a spag sauce to use Saturday, with the Misfits

hot Italian sausage, plant based, diced tomato and tomato paste. There's wheat rotini to go with it. Simple stuff.

About the chickpea fritters, I found they heat up just fine for a second meal, and a bit of dipping sauce is still good. My accompanying salads are getting plainer and plainer, just spinach and mixed greens with cranberries or today loganberries chucked on. I'm finding they taste better with less dressing on them. Maybe it's an urgent need for spring-tonic  greens that's happening.

And I did a couple of images on my ancient iPod, inherited from Handsome Son years ago and mainly useful for playing freecell.  Emailed them to my phone, screenshot them and imported them here. 

Happy day, everyone! Enjoy whatever subject crosses your mind! As you see, my knitting group is an endless stream of consciousness.

Photo AC 

Candlemas, Groundhog Day, fire alarm fritters

It's Candlemas Day aka Feast of the Purification aka Groundhog Day, and the greatest of these is

Six more weeks of winter, no matter what Punxsutawney Phil says. 

Yesterday was a great food day

Misfits arrived on time, and the driver was taking a picture of the delivery just as I was, so we waved.

The blackberries I ordered turned out to be what were known to us as loganberries in North Yorkshire growing up, much better, less seedy, though they're labeled blackberries. These are larger, reddish more than black, match online pictures of loganberries, so I think I'm on safe ground.

And as promised, I made the chickpea fritters.

Here's the YouTube channel where I found them. And I used chickpea flour instead of the AP he uses. 

Mashed potatoes and chickpeas, handful of cilantro, quite a bit of spice, and he deepfried, I baked at 400°f  for 20 minutes, turned them over to brown more for five minutes. Here ready for the oven

Made a dipping sauce of lemon juice and plain yogurt, fancy curry leaf sprig on the plate.

I really recommend you try this! They're spicy and  really good with each forkful dipped, very crunchy outside because of the panko, which I used because I wasn't deep fat frying to get them crunchy. Gosh they're good. This made nine fritters from two potatoes and one can of chickpeas,  aka three suppers.

Pro tip: I'm still learning chickpea flour and find it mixes much faster and absorbs more liquid than AP, so I'll use less flour next time. It was pretty sticky. But the flavor is much better than plain AP.

And loganberries with yogurt are a great cooling dessert after the fritters.

Successful supper.

Happy day everyone, whatever your season. 

Brigid,February, yarn ahoy and Japanese textiles

White rabbits, finally February got here and the daylight is, bit by bit, getting longer. Imbolc, celebrating spring and fertility. 

St Brigid's Day. She was a sixth century Irish powerhouse, both in lore and religious belief. Here's her cross

Showing the Celtic and Christian blend. 

If you remembered to put out on the evening of January 31, on a bush, a piece of fabric, emblematic of her cloak, she may bless it as she passes during the night. Then you'll have its healing properties in your house for the year.

Yesterday the mail brought this

The promised cotton yarn from lovely C.,  plus a bonus bag, seen in front,  of finer gauge cotton yarn she found and added in, wheeee!!

And right away 

That lovely green is already being incorporated into the current undie. I'm now using the first pair as a pattern to follow, since it fits.

Then this afternoon there was a short online presentation from The Textile Museum Journal, about Japanese  worsted muslin, fine wool fabric for clothing including kimonos. 

Actresses were hired to model for advertisements 

And school textbooks taught about textiles including this fabric

Here the Empress is pregnant and  the royal household announces the imperial baby will be dressed simply, in worsted muslin, probably to encourage use of the modest, inexpensive fabric, since the population might be influenced by the imperial household.

The first mention of war refers to the 1904 Russo-Japanese war. 

It's a rapid sociological look at a textile form, and the importance to the Japanese island nation which imported most of its raw wool from Australia. 

When Australia cut back on exporting wool to Japan, before WW2,  it caused shortages and the population was encouraged to economize and recycle, back in 1937. 

It was an interesting wander around a piece of  history in textiles I wasn't familiar with, with a personable presenter. Nice

Happy day everyone, misfits expected today. I have plans for chickpea potato fritters breaded in panko, when the potatoes (I think) I ordered, arrive.