Cozy

Dear Mom,
It was either the last finished project of 2011 or the first finished project of 2012 ( I can't remember). I guess since it technically wasn't felted until this week that it qualifies as a 2012 project.
I needed a new tea cozy once the scorched tea cozy finally completely fell apart. It had been subjected to more scorching episodes after that initial unexplained injury. When one of Wool and Honey's Twelve Knits of Christmas projects was a tea cozy, I logged in and ordered the kit.

My finished tea cozy was a bit too big for my Brown Betty and felting was called for. I've had mixed results felting in my front loader and my plan was to borrow your washing machine one day.  I continued to use the cozy in its too big state, but started worrying that it might end up in the same scorched condition as its predecessor if I continued using it all floppy. My impatience got the better of me and I had a go at felting in my front loader, deciding I'd make another if my felting attempt failed.

Happily, it did not, (although any more time in the machine and it may have ended up too small) and now I have a perfectly thick, well-fitted, warm cozy for my tea pot.

Hot tea + Girl Scout Trefoil cookies = Bliss.

Love,

Kim

Happy Valentine's Day!

Dear Mom,

Happy Valentine's Day!

It is out of character for me to say this, but the snow this morning is cheerful!  Probably because it is just a little snow, in the middle of February and we are nearing the end of winter, and things have been looking very dreary and muddy out there for so long.

Have a Heart Warming Day!

Love,
Kim

February

Dear Mom,
It is a good thing that February is a short month, because I've noticed a pattern of behavior that hits me this time every year.

I buy lipstick. Rarely do I ever find a lipstick in February that I am happy with, but I keep doing it. Every year. I don't even realize that I am "doing it again" until after I've tried and rejected a few. I blame it on the relentless gray days that are reflected in just about every body's complexion. Somehow, in the back of my mind, the right lipstick will transform me into a radiant, sun-kissed beauty. As if.

Another more productive urge that strikes me at this time of year is the need to re-organize and clean. This one is easily blamed on cabin fever. Even though this has been a mild winter, there isn't much to entice me outdoors and the disarray behind closet and cabinet doors can't be ignored.

Last week it was the shelves above the washer and dryer that got my undivided attention. And yesterday, it was the spice cabinet.

That spice shelf has been a source of frustration for too long.Years. I've tried all sorts of spice display ideas and none of them really worked for me. I couldn't find things and as I looked for one spice, several others were knocked off the shelf and onto the countertop.

So. Along comes Pinterest to the rescue. Every good (and unrealistic) idea all wrapped up in a pretty picture is there for anyone to find on Pinterest. The trouble is, is you fill up on all these good ideas and have no time to do any of them because you wasted all your free time looking at them on Pinterest.

Back to my spice cabinet.

Somewhere in the past week or two, I discovered The Answer to the Mess that is my Spice Cabinet.

I perused the internet and found a source for 2 oz. plastic deli containers with lids. After counting how many different containers of spices and seasonings I had in my cabinets, and measuring the depth of my cabinets to be sure the containers would fit, I ordered 75 containers ( and spent less that $30) -enough for all my spices plus extras.  Yesterday, every single spice container came off of that shelf, was placed alphabetically on the island, and with a black Sharpie marker, I took this mess

 and turned it into this!

An added bonus to this system and another frustration eliminated is that annoying measuring-spoon-won't-fit-into-the-bottle thing. AND, I'll be able to make better use of the herbs I grow in my garden! They will be easily stored in these containers after they've been dried.

And by the way- purging that cabinet revealed not one, not two, but three different bottles of both Lemon Pepper and Lemon Peel. Go figure. Won't be happening again!

This next has nothing to do with lipstick and spice cabinets, but to reassure you that I have not totally lost all sense of who I am, becoming a person with coral lips and alphabetized spices,  I do have some knitting to show you.

A finished hat- a birthday gift.

It's an unusual hat, to be sure. The pattern is from Mac & Me- found here. I had a bit of trouble getting gauge and ended up using the yarn single, rather than doubled as the pattern suggested. The yarn used in my hat is Elsebeth Lavold's Silky Wool, one of my favorites. The back of the hat is a loose flap, and the leather ties are definitely needed to keep the hat on. I got this one out of my system and probably won't be making it again, unless the recipient gets/gives rave reviews and I get specific requests for another.

That's all for now. There are more closets to distract me from buying lipstick.

Love,
Kim

Another Good Recipe

Dear Mom,
One afternoon back in the late 70's, in the distance of about 2 blocks- between the grocery store and guitar lessons, I think- you and I devoured most of a package of Archway Homestyle Apricot Filled Oatmeal cookies.

An indelibly sweet memory.

I haven't been able to find those cookies in the grocery stores for a long time. I don't think they make them anymore. I even did a google search.

Over the years I've been passively searching for a recipe that would come close to those soft, chewy flavorful cookies. I'll keep looking, but I've found something very close and very delicious. And the bonus is that the recipe came from my American Heart Association cookbook!

Apricot Raisin Bars

6 oz. dried apricots, chopped

1 c golden or dark raisins

1 3/4 c unsweetened apple juice, divided

3 T cornstarch

1 1/2 t grated lemon zest

vegetable oil spray

1 1/2 c all-purpose flour

1 t baking powder

1 1/4 c uncooked quick-cooking oatmeal

3/4 c firmly packed light brown sugar

1/4 c sugar

2/3 c light margarine

In a medium saucepan, combine apricots, raisins and 1 1/2 c apple juice. Cook over medium-low heat for 20 minutes, or until fruit is tender.

In a small bowl, whisk together 1/4 c apple juice, cornstarch, and lemon zest. Whisk into apricot mixture. Cook over med-high heat until mixture thickens, 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and let cool.

Preheat oven to 375. Spray a 13x9x2-inch pan with vegetable oil spray.

Sift flour and baking powder into a large bowl. Stir in oatmeal and sugars. Blend in margarine until mixture is crumbly. Press about 2/3 mixture into pan.

spread fruit mixture over crust, then top with remaining oatmeal mixture. Gently pat top crust into fruit.

Bake for 30 minutes, or until crust is lightly golden. Cut into 48 squares.

Calories:76 Protein: 1g Carbohydrates: 16g Cholesterol:0 mg Total Fat: 1g (sat fat:0g, polyunsaturated fat 1g, monounsaturated fat 0g) Fiber: 1g Sodium 28mg

Okay. I haven't been able to cut mine into 48 squares. But still. A cookie healthy enough to eat guilt-free, for breakfast if you want to!

Love,

Kim

A Knitter's Christmas

Dear Mom,
Being sympathetic compatriots in the holiday pressure to Get Things Finished, my fellow knitting friends and I decided to postpone our Christmas gift exchange. So instead of December 25th, we had our "Christmas" on January 25th.
The variety of gifts selected and hand crafted is testament to the kindred spirits I am blessed to call friends.

Hand made ornaments that look like stained glass.  Embroidered linens. A scrap book of memories and recipes. Padded hangers with knitted covers.



Hand woven dish towels and hand made soaps, lotions and bath salts.

Bonnie's honey and a set of adorable sheep that we've divided to share. That is Aiden, Finn, Bartley and Liam.

And hand felted chickadees. Mine is perched in the bathroom in front of the mirror where we can appreciate a full view.
Along with our friendship and fiber, food is an important ingredient. I served Roasted Tomato soup and grilled cheeses sandwiches for our "Christmas" lunch. I won't claim to be a good cook, but rather a person who cooks with good recipes. And this soup is the best tomato soup I've ever tasted, has never failed to impress those I make it for, and is worth every bit of effort to make. I've even had friends in need of comfort ask me to make them some of this soup. I found the recipe on foodnetwork.com/Barefoot Contessa.
As a Knitter's Christmas gift, here it is....

Roasted Tomato Soup 

6-8 servings

3lbs. plum tomatoes, cut in half lengthwise

1/4 c + 2 T olive oil

1 T kosher salt

1 1/2 t black pepper

2 c chopped yellow onions

6 garlic cloves, minced

2 T unsalted butter

1/4 t crushed red pepper flakes

1 (28 oz) can canned tomatoes with juice

4 c fresh basil leaves

1 t fresh thyme leaves

1 qt chicken stock

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Toss the tomatoes together with 1/4 c olive oil, salt and pepper.

Spread the tomatoes in 1 layer on baking sheet ( I used my broiler pan) and roast for 45 minutes.

In an 8 qt stockpot over medium heat, sauté the onions and garlic with 2 T olive oil, butter, and red pepper flakes for 10 minutes, until the onions start to brown.

Add the canned tomatoes, basil, thyme and chicken stock. 

Add the oven roasted tomatoes, including the liquid on the baking sheet.

Bring to a boil and simmer uncovered for 40 minutes.

Pass through a food mill fitted with  the coarsest blade.

Taste for seasonings. 

Serve hot or cold.

As with most soups, this soup tastes even better the next day. It freezes well and I've made a note on my calendar to make and freeze this soup with the abundance of garden tomatoes and fresh herbs I'll have at the end of the summer. 

Love,

Kim

Before we were interrupted....

Dear Mom,
Now that Bumper is cleaned out, my house is cleaned up, and things are back to what passes for Normal around here, we can catch up on the nice things that have happened! There may be too much for one blog post. THAT's how much stuff I have.
Two weekends ago, MelissaWhoSpinsbutDoesNotKnit and I took a road trip to Asheville, NC. We left some winter weather, which stayed with us well past Lexington, but the traveling was safe and with both of us in good company, the time passed quickly. Downtown Asheville was loaded with the expected inspiration and we soaked it in. I was so busy soaking it in that I neglected to take many photos.
My head wrap did some sight seeing too. At one point, while trying on some clothes - and let me pause here to ask why is it that I thought driving 8 hours and crossing several state lines would mean that I could wear and look good in something that was little more than a tailored feed sack? cute feed sack, but not on me, darn it!  - anyway, while juggling my coat, purse, feedsack and out-of-shape figure in the dressing room I noticed my head wrap had misplaced itself. Did I drop it somewhere or leave it in the truck? I wasn't terribly concerned about it, but did mention to Melissa that we might want to keep an eye out just in case. Melissa was pretty sure she saw it in the back seat, so we didn't think anymore about it and kept moving forward. More than 4 hours later, as we headed back to the truck ( only to move to another parking spot) Melissa Shouted "Kim!" and pointed to the sky.  ???

Good thing she was looking up, because I was looking down and would have missed it.

My head wrap in a tree

Thankfully the branch hung over a parking lot AND the parking space underneath was empty, so we  Melissa backed into the space, climbed into the back of her truck and rescued my head wrap.
I left it in the back seat for the remainder of the trip.
We did come home inspired by the things we saw in the many galleries and shops, at the Southern Highlands Craft Guild, and at the Winter Retreat held in a nearby mall and hosted by Friends and Fiberworks, a local yarn shop.

On the trip, my car knitting project was a gift for a soon-to-arrive nephew.

Yarn-100% cotton from Universal yarns- Cotton Supreme, if I remember correctly. The pattern, Sweet Pea,   is one I've made before and I like that the opening for the head is like a "onesie" and easily accommodates those big baby noggins. Quick knit, wrapped up and in the mail. There before the baby is, I hope!

Now, onto More Good Stuff.

Weaving.

My best effort yet. I am Very proud of my selvage edges on these. There are still mistakes, but less.  These have been gifted and well received!


On the heels of these pretty things came this:

Yes, that is Patsy's leg in the photo.  She Who Must Know and Approve of ALL that happens here.

"What. Is. That?", you ask.
Well. It is exactly what I wanted it to be, which is good. I just didn't mean for it to look like a Walmart Special. Which it does. I cut old t-shirts into 1-inch strips and wove them into a mini (11X28") rug for the dog dishes. I learned I won't be using t-shirts for weaving. Not that they were difficult- they weren't- and it certainly was a fast project- I just don't like the look. But, as I said, the rug fulfills its intended purpose and thankfully the dog dishes cover up most of it! I also got to try out the fringe twister toy I purchased in Asheville. More learning.

More Good Stuff? Why yes! But I think I'll save the rest for another post.....

Love,
Kim

A little humor

Dear Mom,

I came home Monday from an adventure in Asheville (more on that in another post) to a very sick dog. Bumper's gastronomic adventures got the best of him and this time it took 4 enemas and lots of money to put him on the mend. He isn't 100% yet, but we are getting there. Needless to say, all the trash cans are on lock down.

Following a dog around the back yard with a plastic bag and a flashlight does not make good blog photo ops. Nor does mopping and cleaning carpets. So, I'll share this little gem I found on Pinterest this morning:

That's where things stand right now.

More later.

Love,

Kim