Stay-cation Update

I hope everyone enjoyed their holiday, I know I sure did! I have so much to talk about that my mind is spinning with all of my thoughts. Where do I begin... I had the week off and therefore I didn't blog, go online, email or text anyone and that was odd. Funny a few years ago it wouldn't have mattered and being plugged into whatever blog, website, email or text daily was totally unfathomable. I must admit by the second day of my stay-cation, I was relaxed the only thing that kept me in the loop with my family was the cell phone and can I say it was really nice. I know it's almost blasphemous to type that here, but it really was.

So with all that time on my hands and no Internet to whittle the day away on? I needed some jewelry for Thanksgiving that would enhance my sweater I thought a statement bracelet would be great, so out came the beads, wire and tools.

I started with this red piece, I love the color and really needed to experiment to get my creative juice flowing. I love to put on the random beads with no order it's aways a surprise in the end the the piece looks as if it was just thrown together "chaotic beauty". Yeah we'll go with that, sounds so much more artistic than " random clumps of beads junked together".

I think I can wear this one with my dark jeans for a casual outing. I need to get a better pic, because there are some beads there that have a Greek key inscribed in them that are really interesting and cool.

After practicing on the red piece it was time to start the reason why I got the beading supplies out. I still needed something for the sweater and was inspired by these beads, felt the colors were just spectacular. There are pink, champagne and chocolate pearl beads, pink and topaz glass beads and tiny Swarovski crystal beads (those were my daughter's but she didn't want them so in the pot they went).

So I made this bracelet and just for fun and because I couldn't stop myself I also made the necklace and earrings, by the time I was done, it was 4:00 in the afternoon and I hadn't even thought about what was for dinner! As the old adage goes time flies when your having fun.

Thoughtful Thanksgiving Thursday

May you always know the Grace of God.
May your pantry never be empty, your glass always full.
My your heart be full of love and you family healthy.
Happy Thanksgiving!

Vacation

I'm going off line for this week, I have a stay-cation and am going to work on my loom. I'm in heaven this week all alone in the house just me, my doggie, my yarn and my loom. See you guys in a week!! Have a Blessed Thanksgiving!

Not A Weiner!

I entered the Rock Your Socks Contest from Berroco, I love their Comfort Sock yarn. The rules were that you needed to use any of the sock yarn to create anything other than socks, and the pattern be original. I gave it a shot and made this lovely cowl. I sent it off with my application and forgot about the whole thing.

Then I got home and found this I was thinking well I didn't order anything because I'm on yarn restriction and when I order I have it sent to work, (less painful for Mr. Deepend).

Thought wow, how exciting so I tore into it to find this.

With a lovely letter stating that it was a nice try but they had whittled it down to um, better entries. That's okay because they were gracious enough to send these wonderful booklets full of even more wonderful patterns. I guess for the first time out not so bad, but if they ever do it again I plan on entering.

Tam

I finished this lacy tam. I've borrowed my daughter's a few times, (she has a store brought one) but I want my own, that I created with great yarn. The yarn is Claudia's Hand Painted 100% Merino Wool. I was so please that I didn't itch like a mad woman when I touched it, really soft springy and the colors are so vibrant. I tried to put it on my neck for a bit to see if I would itch and yes I did so the remaining skein will not be a neck warmer, but maybe some fingerless gloves.

Pattern is Spin me Right Round which is a free Ravelry download. I modified it with the top and I didn't knit the k4tog for the decreasing, but I love the way it turned out.

Thoughtful Thursday

You'll never know who has come before you and who will come after, but always try to leave where you have been better than when you arrived.

What's the Skinny?

I finished my Skinny Scarf and wore it on Saturday, I loved the colors and technique Then I went into one of my Betty Davenport books to find that I didn't do the Brook Bouquet the way it's suppose to be done, so I kind of screwed up. No big deal I love the way it turned out so we'll just keep that to ourselves and not over share.

I'm planning on a throw for my SIL's Christmas present and I would like to do the brook bouquet on the edges with some Leno for the design. I have some cotton chenille that will work out really nicely for it, I'll start warping tonight and hopefully finish dressing the loom.

More Knitting

I started knitting My Oblique which is a great Free Knitty pattern. I took the instructions and modified them in word to only have my size and the pattern repeats I need to get it all right. I have found that for the more complex patterns and my way of comprehending them, I need to write them out row by row this ensures that I don't screw it up and saves me time from frogging and starting over, which is never fun. This one I'm knitting at lunch time and am enjoying it very much.

Another fun project I have in the works is this afghan, it's a log cabin pattern but I kept the colors the same for each square portion. I have 23 squares and need another 23 (I think) to make a comfortable ghan for me.My inspiration for this ghan was this background that I got on a Christmas card several years ago, it had a cutout of a dove with a peace branch in it's beak and through the cut out was this background and I fell in love with it instantly. So I cut it out and kept it in my idea folder until I found the Log Cabin pattern that call it's name out. It's a good stash busting project and I have enough inherited acrylic to finish up.

Thoughtful Thursday

John 20:29

Jesus said to him, “Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.

Picture was taken on a Foggy Road in Marble, NC.

New Projects

Remember my last purchase of the year for yarn? The wonderful Alpaca Cloud? Well I found the perfect pattern, but first I had to wind the hanks in to cakes. I opened the hanks and placed them on my tinker toy swift (I lurve this thing) . It took me 20 mins to wind 4 hanks of 440yds each into neat little cakes for knitting during my lunch hour at work. (Isn't this table a riot, takes me back to the early 70's).

The Sweetheart Cardigan, by Iris Schreier from the book Lacy Little Knits is the pattern I picked for this yummy yarn. I started knitting and it seems to be an easy knit, I plan to work on this one when I go to Knit Club since the conversations are always very lively I can't get too complicated with my knitting.

I also started on this Brooks Bouquet & Leno skinny cotton scarf. I was gifted the yarn in a swap on Raverly and didn't quite know what to make with it. It's Pisgah Yarn & Dyeing Co., Inc Peaches & Creme Ombres 4 ply cotton which is used for dishcloths but I loved the colors and thought it could be more fun than a dish rag. I figured since I live in South Florida we seldom if ever use scarves, but a thin fun scarf of cotton is lightweight enough to wear as a fashion accessory so I warped. I'd forgotten how fun it was to do the Leno Lace and this is the first time I try the Brooks Bouquet, which is fast becoming a favorite. While I weave my creative mind starts to wander getting new ideas, I think I may want to weave a short shawl of entirely Brooks Bouquet. I have to give it some thought on how I would work it out, but it's the next project for the loom.

Frijoles Negros - Cuban Black Bean

Frijoles(Freeholes) Negros (Negross) (Cuban Black Beans)

Mr. Deepend's Family Recipe (Dad's Beans)

My mother in law was a great cook, she could make any potaje (bean dish) that you would want to eat for days. Before she passed my husband and his siblings learned how to make all of her signature Cuban dishes. These are called Abuela's Beans, my kids have renamed them Dad's Beans because he makes the dish just like is mother did, with lots of love, and memories of her. Whenever these are made in my house there is not a missing person, everyone no matter what is happening in their corner of the world, comes home for dinner. I let one of the kids know and it triggers a chain reaction they will call each other and annouce "Dad's making beans", this in my house can only mean one thing Cuban Black Beans.

Ingredients:

1 med onion finely chopped
1 med green pepper finely chopped
3 cloves of garlic minced
½ cup of olive oil 1/4 for the boiling and 1/4 added in stock pot
3 bay leaves
½ tsp of salt
2 Tbsp of Complete Seasoning
½ Tbsp of Ground Cumin
1/3 cup of Vino Seco (Dry White or Golden Cooking Wine)
1 pkg (14oz) of Black Beans
½ tsp Garlic Powder
½ tsp of sugar
1 small can of Tomato Sauce
½ Tbsp of Tomato Paste
3 qt of water

Clean the beans in a strainer, taking out the broken beans any rocks etc.

Place clean beans and water into the crockpot, with ¼ cup of olive oil, the bay leaves and salt.




Turn on high for four-six hours until the beans are soft. This can be done in a pressure cooker also, but I don’t like them and don’t really use one. But if you have one and can use it the process is faster with the same results. After the beans are soft place them and all the water in a stock pot. Be careful not to get any water on your clothes it will stain them and getting it out is almost impossible (this tidbit might be great for any fiber dyers out there to try)

Chop the onion, green pepper and garlic and add to the pot. (we mince because the kids don't like chunks of "stuff" in their food.

Add the rest of the ingredients into the pot and give it all a good stir.

Put the heat on to med high and let is slow boil for about 55- 60 mins until the water has thickened. Serve over white rice with a nice pan fried pork chop and some fried plantains, now that is a typical Cuban meal from the homeland.

Thoughtful Thursday

If you woke up this morning with more health than illness you are more blessed than the millions who will not survive this week.

If you have never experienced the danger of battle, the loneliness of imprisonment, the agony of torture, or the pangs of starvation you are ahead of 500 million people in the world

If you can attend a church meeting without fear of harassment, arrest, torture or death you are more blessed than 3 billion people in the world.

If you have food in the refrigerator, clothes on your back, a roof overhead, and a place to sleep you are richer than 75% of this world

If you have money in the bank, in your wallet, and spare change in a dish someplace you are among the top 8% of the world's wealthy.

May the Lord ease your worries, your troubles and heartache, for only through Him are we truly blessed.

Picture is of Michael Gaffney's House, in Gaffney S.C.

Completed, Hemed and Ironed Out

It's finished!! Done!! Yes (with fist gesture and all) This is Hermia five months of knitting with fingering weight and 3.5mm needles, lace pattern and top down. I'm so happy it's finished. I washed and dried it, then I killed the acrylic yarn in it with a steam iron. That helped with the picot edge which was turning on itself, but after a good steam it laid flat as a board. I love the pattern and the feel of this yarn, I bought the yarn a year ago on Ebay at an estate auction the name is Fantina and it came from Belgium circa 1975 85% acrylic 15% nylon, 2 ply, very fine and soft I used 1050 yds and have 550 left over for something else. For being lightweight it was warm as I was doing my photo shoot, I guess in 85 degree heat a sweater even a light one is going to be warm. I'm hoping we'll get a temp cool down for Thanksgiving because this is what I'll be wearing, sans shorts of course, but it did look cute with the walking shorts.. I'll keep that option open.

God I need to loose weight ;) yet another goal that will not be accomplished during the holidays, at least I'm a realist, no pressure for the next two months.

The ladies from my knit group were really impressed with the crew sock rug, and wanted me to explain just how the weaving works. They asked if I could bring my loom with me to the coffee shop, well a 32" RH loom is really not the most portable thing to carry around never mind trying to set it up at a coffee shop, not happening. So I told them about my inkle and kid loom which are portable and are basic looms to get the weaving concept across to them. I could so see a small weaving shop for people to get excited and start weaving. ::dreams that this might one day be true::

The inkle has been in various stages of un-finish for over a year. I've been working on this very painfully slow, but I was playing with Mary Atwater's How to Weave on the Inkle Loom with no goal other than to get the sequence correct. I'm going to try to finish it off at knit nite and maybe use it for straps on a tote bag, especially since Delighted Hands had a great tutorial on her plastic bag totes.

This is a Brio Kids loom, this thing is not really a loom, but a toy. I warped it and tied it up because it's small and it really is a basic tabby weave visual for them to get the weaving, I wish I could get the plastic heddle thing to not wiggle around it's just a pain to maneuver. But for explanatory purposes it will have to do.