In the Kitchen

As in other things, I’m apt to experiment a lot in the kitchen. Results vary but I hit on a great combination this weekend.

Here’s what I did:

1 lb of ground meat (I used ground sirloin)
1 medium onion - chopped
1 small green pepper –chopped
1 large clove of garlic
1 cup corn
1 tsp each of allspice, cinnamon, and cloves
1 tsp of steak seasoning
salt
½ cup beef broth or water
2 large potatoes (use the kind with the waxy skin)
1 can cream of broccoli soup
1 cup milk
2 cups grated cheese

Sautee the onion and green pepper until the onions begin to caramelize then add the garlic and sautee a little longer. Put theses in a bowl. Brown the ground meat, adding the spices and salt to taste. When the meat is brown, add the corn, onion, green pepper, onion and broth (or water). Put the meat mixture in a casserole dish.

Peel the potatoes and cut in very thin slices. Arrange the potato slices on top of the meat mixture.

Mix the can of cream of broccoli and the milk and pour over the top of the potatoes.

Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes (or until potatoes are done). Sprinkle the grated cheese over the top and bake another few minutes until cheese is melted. Remove from the oven and let sit 5 minutes before serving.

And that’s it. I’ve almost eaten the whole thing. Of course, you can use any kind of cream of whatever soup and any veggies in with the meat mixture to suit your tastes.

That’s about what I got accomplished this weekend although I did get another batch of fleece washed. The problem with it was that I thought it was going to be warmer on Saturday than it actually turned out to be so I put the batch on the porch to dry. Instead I got a fleece-cicle.

I love my new wheel!

I’m learning tons and tons already with my wheel. Here’s my first skein-lette, spun worsted and Navajo plied. It’s really overspun but it was my first attempt at double drive spinning.

Next I tried Scotch tension and worked with some Kickapoo Creek alpaca/silk/merino cloud. It’s a whole new world. Whole new world, I tell you!

Me and My Baby

I have a new baby. Let me introduce you to my new Kromski Minstrel, just arrived and welcomed into its new home.
It came unfinished and I wanted to stain it a dark walnut. Not that I’m the best furniture finisher that’s ever been but I’m thrilled with how it’s come out. After applying the oil, some of the pieces have come up a little lighter than I thought they would but it’s still beautiful. I just couldn't wait for everything to dry to get it all put together.

I’ll have lots to learn since my Louet is basic, basic, basic. There were no ratios or adjustments or double drive or scotch tension so I have never bothered to learn any of that! Now it’s time to graduate from kindergarten spinning to elementary school spinning.

I've already been spinning on it today but I did have to call my friend Karen with a couple of questions this afternoon already. Karen Poulakos Fiber Arts Studios. She's just started carrying Kromskis and I have her to thank for this! I've been wanting a Kromski since I first learned to spin. Well, from early on. Well, at first I wanted an Ashford Traveller but I've always loved the look of the Kromski wheels. Many thanks to the folks on the Ravelry Kromski group who had so much helpful advice on the differences between the Mazurka and the Minstrel.

Gotta go do some more spinning. See ya later!

A couple of years ago a few of us bought some Harrisville fiber for spinning. I had a vision of a yoked sweater and I wanted it to be in a solid color up to the yoke and then I wanted to spin a yarn out of yellow, orange and red with really long color repeats to knit the fair isle pattern for the yoke. Well the fiber came but it was not at all what we were expecting. It must have been made up from floor sweepings because there is a lot of vegetable matter in it and the fibers are wool but all really short. It was really beyond my spinning abilities at that time but I kept it and looked at it from time to time, sure in my heart that it had character and would be something lovely someday.

This week I started pulling fiber stash out of my workroom closet in preparation for a program at the Weaver’s Guild and of course, my 3 half-pound bags of Harrisville fiber came out with everything else.

So I sat at the wheel and decided that, instead of trying to fit this beautifully dyed fiber into my little preconceived notions, I would just let it be what it is. With this in mind I spun and spun and spun and fell in love with the end result. Although heavier than I would normally like I just got more and more intrigued by the depth of color in the batts. The fiber isn’t really a roving or really a batt but sort of a combination. It’s a very, very thin batt that worked much better when I spent the time to unravel it a bit.

Here’s a photo of the fiber and the result.

The multi-colored skein-ling (because it’s only little, after all) was because I wanted to see how it would do as a 3-ply (a bit like a rope, actually) and the orange skein-ling is a 2-ply. As I was plying it, all I could think about were those great Paton’s patterns from the 50’s of coats knit out of those wonderful bouclé yarns. There might be a plan developing here.

Ahemmm...

Quite enough said, I think.

Just a quick post to show some pictures of the latest project – elegant long gloves.

The first picture is of the test glove which has at least 4-5 major design flaws but at least it’s enough to show me what I need to do with the real ones.

Here’s the 1st of the real gloves. As you can see, I’ve just finished the hand and now I’m starting work on the wrist and forearm.

I had hoped to finish them this weekend but an unexpected and equally unwelcome bug hit at 5am sharp on Saturday morning and is just now receding. In fact, it was so bad that I didn’t even want to think of touching a knitting needle. Better now, thanks.

If I start going to the Opera I might as well be ready..

I saw a pair of long gloves the other day and started thinking about how much scope there would be to designing a pair of long gloves. I found some Misti Alpaca Lace (natural dark tan - groovy color name, isn't it? I call it 'camel' colored) in my stash that I’ve been so wanting to make something with and it’s perfect for this project. Soft, elegant, alluring, takes the lace part well and gorgeous!

Don't have photos yet but will try to get those posted tomorrow. The idea is for the gloves to have a lacy pattern on the back of the hand then gently decrease to the wrist. At the wrist will be some open lace and I'm thinking some special beads so that it looks like a bracelet round the wrist. The gloves I saw actually had a sparkly bracelet around them on the wrist but I thought, why not just work them into the glove? Right?!

Then they will continue up the forearm with the lace pattern worked all the way around the glove. I think. Maybe just the top but I think all the way round. I certainly wouldn't need to do any increasing to accommodate the line of the arm as the lace would automatically do that for me.

I love the feel of the laceweight for the glove and the alpaca is super soft and very warm. The glove I'm doing right now is really a "work out the pattern" glove and I will make the real pair once I've got everything worked out here.

I keep telling everyone these are for all those 'black tie' events I go to in Springfield, Illinois! Ha!! Well, I now have an Opera Hood and I'll soon have long gloves so carry on!!