Stash

No matter how small the size of one's stash, it cannot be contained in one room.

Perhaps it is because yarn mates and produces more yarn.

Perhaps it is because yarn is clingy and follows one around to every room.

Perhaps it is just that it is easier to grab a quick fix of knitting when there are bits of knitting close to hand.

In any case, yarn will not stay in one place. I have been trying to cage it up for years and still find uncaged, wild yarn roaming the great vastness of my tiny house.

Do Borrowers steal yarn and move it about for the fun of befuddling me?

Excuse me but What?

What is wrong with this recipe?

8 oz. ground beef chuck
8 oz. ground pork
½ cup bread crumbs
½ cup heavy cream
2 medium yellow onions, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 medium carrot, finely chopped
1 egg, lightly beaten
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
6 slices bacon
2 tbsp. unsalted butter
2 tbsp. flour
2 cups beef stock
¼ cup red currant jelly
1 sprig thyme
1 bay leaf

Meal Suggestions

Game Plan:
 When you walk in the door 
 Get out Pantry Items 
 Get out Tools 
 Fill a large saucepan with 1 1/2 cups water, 1 cup rinsed quinoa and 1 tsp salt and set over high heat 
 Assemble the ingredients 
 Prep 
 Wipe the mushrooms clean and slice in 1/2 inch pieces. 
 Pull leaves from rosemary and chop to yield 2 Tbsp. 
 Salt and pepper the pork cutlets. 
 Pour 1 cup white wine for the recipe 
 Start Cooking

 Reality: Pour 1 cup white wine for drinking. Gulp quickly.
 Pour another cup. Sip slowly.
 Pour another cup. Debate cooking while staring into wine glass.
 Pour another cup. Contemplate the meaning of dinner.
 Empty bottle. Realize that dinner cannot be accomplished without more wine.
 Sit in chair and drain last of wine from glass.
 At some point decide it is too late for dinner and go to bed.

12 Days

Christmas Alone Again

Christmas Wish

Cello Wars

Gratitude

There and Back Again

This is the third time to rip out the first sleeve. Now to reknit it. Boring does not begin to describe this sweater. I can only hope to finally get this sleeve right and begin the second sleeve. Christmas is getting too close for the long list of things yet to make. Can we have an extra two weeks between now and December 25?

Knit-Rip-Knit

I started Dan from Berroco and got to the underarm decreases. Then discovered I had used the wrong size needles. So this:

Became this:

  After a bit of whining and time that became this:

The color is off a bit. That blue is really a nice teal. These are Special Olympics colors. The yarn is Knit Picks Wool of the Andes in Cloud, Marina, and (surprise) Red.

Of course now all Christmas knitting is so far behind that everything is now aimed for Christmas 2012. But I don’t think anyone will mind. As slow as I am at mailing things it would be 2012 before they get them anyway.

Especially for my sister who only lives about one hour away. And yet I see her about twice a year. Part of that however is her ability to hide.

She is really good at it.

Back to Dan. Or Gnome. Or Fish. Or maybe Mawata.

This Took Forever

For those folks who make and gift items to unappreciative folks.

Originally From Sublime Stitching. Go there. You won’t regret it.

Lead Like Ike–Book Review

I put off posting a review of this book because I just did not like it. Giving bad reviews isn’t fun.

Lead Like Ike is about following D.D. Eisenhower’s style during WWII when he was preparing for the assaults that turned the tide for the Allies. It was an interesting read with some facts that were unknown to me. But I found it to be too much of a stretch to use his tactics in today’s global economy.

If you are interested in some lesser known facts about the struggles of a lower-grade officer trying to pull together a multi-national force, then you might find this book intriguing. But if you are looking for strategies to use in today’s market this book may not be helpful.

I cannot recommend this book for its readability either. There is much repetition. In my opinion (and this is only my opinion) this book has little to offer.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Knitting Video

Critters

Oh what a tangled web we weave

when first we practice stranded knitting.

Can you guess what this is?

Left Brain

Nornir or How I learned that I have Absolutely No Patience

This lovely sock was the second round of Sock Madness. Isn’t it pretty?

This pattern whipped me into smithereens. Every row has slipped stitches which means that every row is shortened. Which means that in order to knit the full length a person has to knit twice as many stitches. It took such a long time to make any progress that I lost heart before sock one was finished. And then there was the second sock to finish. I wanted to quit so badly!!!! But then I would have to admit defeat.

So then. Want to see the finished results?

And here is what I really thought of these socks….

St. Patrick's Day

Stupid–or how pain meds attract intellectual curve balls

Its been one of those days. You know the kind. When everything waits until the opportune moment to try to scramble your mind.

Do you want the long or short version?

Short version: I took a Percocet around 3am. Then I waited for it to kick in.

And waited. And waited.

Finally I decided to lay down until morning.

Okay, until later this morning.

The alarm clock blared and I got up and got busy with the usual morning routine minus coffee because I really wanted to get some sleep this week.         I managed all the things that mornings require and settled down in front of the computer to relax and wait some more. In case the meds ever did kick in. Which they did around 10:30am. With drooping eyes I crawled into bed and fell asleep.

Then the phone rang……..Spam.  So much for the Federal Do-Not-Call list.

Made a WC run and went back to bed. And back to sleep.

Then the phone rang……Spam again. Grrrrrr.

Tossed and turned and finally went back to sleep. And then it was time to get up and busy with afternoon chores.  I had just slipped a robe over my nightgown and was doddering toward the kitchen when a neighbor popped in. I ran to get dressed. She left before I returned. And left her laptop to be worked-on.

As if I would touch someone else’s laptop in my befuddled state.

Hours later when the meds finally wore off and I was making coherent speech again I realized she had not left any information about what she wanted me to do with her laptop.

I think I will wait until tomorrow. Surely my brain will have been detoxed by then.

But one never knows for sure.

If you see me being chased down the road by a crazed woman with a useless laptop you will know why,

Sock Crazed

Hey. Hi. Been a while.

Thought you might like to see the latest sock.

Got a sore finger.

And a desperate need for coffee.

Do you think I am crazy to be in a sock knitting contest?

(me too)