Moving on

What with the IELTS exams and house hunting, the last couple of weeks have been busier than usual. The trip to Chicago was great, the exam went well (results in 2 weeks) and we worked in a visit to a relative's place. No yarn stops but hey I wasn't kiddin' about that 3 month hiatus.

We found out early this week where we're moving to next week. Not a whole lot of time, but we decided to look for a house instead of an apartment this time. Day 1 we look, find a few places, decide to drive by first and dislike all of them. But all the driving around netted us some numbers. So, Day 2 we make a bunch of calls, find out most people are unhappy about 6 month leases. Drive around some more. Day 3, no leads all day and in the evening bam! Just like that we had 3 showings, and liked 2 of them. Day 5 - we are now hopeful about moving into a spacious 3 bedroom house with a fab deck. Neighbors have a dog. Yay!

That still leaves us with tons of packing and hauling but after 3 moves in the last year and half, I guess we can do it now with just a 6 pack at hand. *hic*

Between all this, I did manage to finish up my little surprise project that involved some fabric and floss and yarn. Here's a sneak peak:

And one of my favorite things in the project:

All my WIPs have slowed down to the point of not having grown at all. But hopefully with this move behind us, I can get crackin' at those. Let me see if I can list 'em all:

Sonata top - still working the lace

Hemp bag - have a good 12" to go, lookin' good so far

Mesilla - still have to pick up around the neckline and do the sleeves.
Coasters! I said I would make a dozen *sigh*

Brown bag - knitting all done, I need to put in grommets and felt the sucker. Then line him. Then sew a button on and figure out how he can be put to use.

Keepin' on knittin'...

And if that doesn't do it

... here's something that might work (if the pic induces in you a strange urge to bake, just ask and I'll edit this post to include the recipe).

Date Cake

A cure for the sweet tooth

Yesterday I baked some delectable Pecan Squares that will soon make it's way to my sister in NJ. She claims to have an insatiable sweet tooth these days, and short of threatening and begging has done everything to make me send her some. So hope ya enjoy 'em, sista.

FO - Calorimetry

Pattern: Calorimetry
Yarn: Yarn: Bulky 6-ply merino from Handpaintedyarn.com in color Bombon, leftover from MSCS

Mods: Instead of the recommended 120 sts, I cast on 68 based on comments all over blog-land about how this pattern runs large. By the same reasoning, I knit about 7 repeats (instead of 15) of the first set of short rows. It's a perfect fit and the perfect width.

I finished this a couple of weeks ago, but hadn't sewed on the button yet. It took me all of 2½ hours and is great for protecting my hair while on the bike.

Pictures galore

Much to my surprise, I seem to prefer to blog via photographs rather than by writing long texts. Surprise because I've always enjoyed writing and it was one of the reasons I started this blog. Heh no matter. It appears I like photography just as much.

I promised pictures of my first hand dyeing attempt (with Wilton's - I used royal blue and a deep olive green. ). Here it is about 5 days late:

I think I can safely conclude this experiment by saying I will definitely pursue this part of the fiber hobby. It's fun, gratifying, and almost like magic! One drawback is space constraints. It would be nice to have enough space to measure out the skein for self-striping, actual coloring and drying. But still, not bad for how easy it was.

I've started a market bag from the red hemp. It's based on this pattern except I've changed number of stitches and will change the handle/strap. I think I should be done with it by this weekend. It's not so bad to work with but a little rough so I'm going slow.

I'm also into one lace round of Soleil. Going is slow, but steady. I went down a needle size to get guage, I hope it doesn't change mid-way. No WIP pics of this one, for reasons you will understand someday :)

My sis accused me of neglecting the food part of this blog. She's right, I can't claim to be a foodie but I have no business claiming to be part food blog with nary a related blog for weeks. So, here's a pic of a dish I came up with last night. It doesn't really have a name so let's just call it Chicken Masala. Yet another one.

Recipe

6 chicken drumsticks - skinned, cleaned and patted dry with paper towels.
oil, a few tsp
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 large onion, chopped
1 green chilli, sliced (I use serrano)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2" piece ginger, minced
2 tbsp tomato paste 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
2 tbsp Rogan Ghosh spice blend (I use Penzey's)
2 cups water or chicken broth
Salt, to taste
1/2 tsp brown sugar
Fresh corriander leaves, chopped

In a large pan, heat 3 tsp oil. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. When the oil is hot, add the drumsticks and let it brown. Flip after a couple of min to brown other sides. Take out the chicken and keep aside (it's not cooked yet, just browned).
In the same pan, add another couple tsp oil and then add cumin seeds. Add onions, green chili, garlic and ginger. Fry until browned. Add turmeric and rogan ghosh powder. Stir well, then add the tomato paste. Mash the mixture with your spatula, stir for a minute then add the water. Add the salt & sugar. Mix well, let it come to a simmer.
Add the chicken to this gravy, shut the lid and let it cook on medium heat for about 20-30 min. Remember to stir every 10 min to prevent it from sticking and add water if necessary. Check chicken for doneness (it should be opaque and break open when prodded with the spatula). Adjust seasonings. Sprinkle corriander leaves and serve hot with chapati or rice. Eat with pride.

The most terrific birthday weekend!

Saturday was the day my last year as a 20-something began. And we spent a memorable weekend up near the mountains to celebrate. We stayed at a beautiful Victorian B&B in Manitou Springs, and spent the weekend exploring the little town, it's mineral springs and riding a train up to Pike's Peak (at an elevation of 14100 feet). The most astonishing find was a little store in town called The Hemp Store where I found some darn nice hemp yarn. I got me 2 skeins to make a market bag type thing. That doesn't really count as yarn, right?

Here's the B&B we stayed at:

Stunning view from atop Pike's Peak:

Our favorite mineral spring - Twin Springs - the water from this spring is sweet and slightly effervescent:

Here's the hemp yarn in a lovely red:

And then there were presents!

I got 2 terrific packages from my bestest sis. The first one came from Amazon - an ultra sharp V-silcer and the stunning book by Jane Sowerby, Victorian Lace Today.

The second package arrived the day we left for Manitou Springs and here's the haul - a bathroom set in pretty pastels, Debbie Stoller's Stitch n Bitch (heh been wanting that one), 2 novels by Jonathan Kellerman, a card, a $100 gift card to Foot Lockers (wowzer), and my favorite - a CD she recorded for me with some songs that we were crazy about when we were growing up. Talk about nostaligia.

Mr.P had been very secretive about his gift to me and with good reason. I got the most awesome chest that looks like it came from the pages of old English novels I used to read a kid. He said it's for my yarn, but I think I'll line it with silk/satin and store my knit accessories in it. Throw in a lavender sachet or two and it'll be perfect.

He also got me my favorite cake from The Boulder Teahouse which I polished off before I could get a pic!

Thank you, guys, for making this birthday special. Love you! :)