Dec 19

Christmas Memories

Uncategorized 1 Comment »

Snowflake_300hWhen I was growing up, every year around this time, we would all gather at my Babcia’s house. Being at Babcia’s wasn’t in itself unusual because we lived upstairs from her. But every year, near Christmas, all the kids would be there and then we would hear them — Santa’s jingle bells! Santa would arrive (through the front door, which we never used!) It’s such a great memory. AND now, guess what? My sister has arranged to have Santa visit my parents’ house in NH to visit the little ones in our family. The smile that is on my face this morning from the anticipation of seeing the kids’ faces when he walks through the door is spreading ear-to-ear.

We will start the day by building a ginger bread house, and (hopefully) popcorn balls which, for some reason, were part of Santa’s visit when I was little.

I will take lots of pictures and hopefully some video to share.

OH, I have that Christmas-morning-like anticipation. I CANNOT wait. (oh and shhhhh, don’t tell the kids. This is a surprise.

Nov 11

11.11 11:11

Maastricht 09 Vacation No Comments »

Although I have very little to write about 11.11 11:11 (because that is today and it’s 9am) I thought it was a great title. So there, you have it.

Yesterday was a fun filled day.

This is the lovely home I’m staying in (and hopefully, you will excuse all of the close-up shots. Only have that lens…the other is at home! d’oh!)
79

Found these  lovely, maybe bittersweet? But I’ve never seen them in purple
purple.1

Went into a second-hand, antique shop where Joel decided to try on a hat….
joel.nazi

Went to a lovely old bakery that still uses water power to run it’s mill. Was so fascinated with the mill that I got no pictures of bread!
wheel.1

water.wheel.2

water.wheel2

Very, VERY interesting piece of architecture. There are parts of an old city wall here and there (Roman times). And from what I’ve been told there is a first wall and a second wall…Well, when it came time to build this building, they indicated where the wall would have gone through it were it still there. Clever, those Dutch.

And finally, after a few beers, saw this shop which I took as being “Little Riley”…cute eh?
rilette

And as the day went on, the rest became more and more blurry! And no pictures followed!

Today off to see in the start of Carnival season (although Carnival season, in my mind, starts before lent or so…they start early here, playing with the number 11.11 (the date) at precicely 11:11 the time. Since it’s 10:26, we have less than an hour to get there…better take off. Can’t promise more pictures since I’m told there will be even more beer today. OY!

Nov 10

Ran Away

Life, Maastricht 09 Vacation No Comments »

Yes, so I’ve run away. Run far away from home. I’ve ended up in Maastricht, The Netherlands, visiting my buddy Joel. Strange-ish first day since not a lot is open on Mondays here. I ask myself, “Why Monday.” I suppose from a business perspective, it’s better to close on a Monday than a weekend day. But didn’t they consider that I would be coming to visit?

First impressions were how interestingly the Dutch are converting some of their buildings, notably, old churches. Unlike Boston, they’re not simply preserving the exterior, and building a more modern building. I really like what they’re doing here.
…an old church converted into a bookstore
bookstore.church

I love the contrast of the book stacks and the arches.
chuch.book.stacks

this is a wonderful copper-lined entrance to a new hotel, the Kruisheren Hotel, a converted monestary. The inside is spectacular.
new.entrance

The contrast of the ultra modern lights wit the ancient  is wonderful.
church.hotel

…even keeping little nichés intact
church.niche

This isn’t a converted church. I just have a things for flying buttresses . I love them and think they’re elegant!

flyingbuttress

and, finally…my new glasses are VERY in here in Europe. I can’t decide whether I feel relieved that I don’t stick out like a sore thumb or just another one “of the crowd.”
Photo 19

OK, so that’s the first day’s report. More to come. On today’s agenda…Dutch french fries, shopping for wool socks, going to some terrific bakery (fig and nut brood), and a wonderful snack food, bitterballen met moestard. YUM! (and, no, Gage…we’re also keeping up with Wii Fitness to keep El Gordo at bay!) Stay tuned!

Oct 25

Sweet Fern Mitts

Knitting 1 Comment »

I haven’t posted in quite a long while, it seems. My how time passes without notice if we’re not careful. What have I been up to? I’ve been knitting to keep my sanity! You may say that it’s too late! But it’s what I do to help me escape and keep “out of my head.”

As many of you know, last weekend was the Dutchess County Sheep and Wool Festival otherwise know as Rhinebeck. This was my second time going, having gone last year. And this year’s visit was as enjoyable and as different.

Here we are, Stephen, hizKnits, me, and momKNITS (Stephen’s Mom, Ann). momKNITS was a wonderful addition to the terrible duo…and I enjoyed her company a great deal.
rhine.09

(For a minute there, I had to wonder to myself where I was going with this Rhinebeck angle…oh, yes.)

It was at Rhinebeck that Stephen introduced me to Clara Parkes, or Miss Parkes as we tend to call her. I have long been a fan of her book, The Knitter’s Book of Yarn and (where have I been, under a rock?) was so excited and surprised to see that she was signing her new book, The Knitter’s Book of Wool. She was a delight and the book is my newest bed-time reading and obsession.

I’ve already knitted the Hill Country Hat — twice, in fact. And if you follow the link you can download the pattern yourself from Miss Parkes’ site, Knitter’s Review. And the other day I cast on the Sweet Fern Mitts. Today I cast off and I can’t wait for the temperature to drop so I can wear them! Here are some photos.

DSC_3518

DSC_3522

DSC_3526

I’ve been encouraged by Miss Parkes to knit all the patterns in the book and I wonder if I shall.

Other than that…I’ve been spinning some Blue-Faced Leicester fiber (my only fiber purchase from Rhinebeck…can that be right?) And the resulting 3-ply yarn is turning out beautifully. But that’s another post.

Oct 12

Magnificent Mittens

Knitting 3 Comments »

IMG_1015

While cleaning up the other day, I came across Anna Zilboorg’s Magnificent Mittens. I know I’ve looked through this book, but I haven’t really read it that carefully. That was a mistake! What a wonderful book. I’m not sure whether I’ll use the EZ “sore thumb” method or Anna’s “invisible thumb” method. But I am sure that I’m really enjoying the knitting. I’m using some stash – Green Mountain Spinnery’s Mountain Mohair on US 3s (I know it’s going to be firm…but they’re mittens and should be wind-proof as far as I’m concerned. Next time, I think I’ll try to work these up two at a time on 2 circular needles. But two-color knitting, doubling that up, I don’t know if I want to deal with the tangles. Perhaps knitting them one at a time is the way to go.

Here is a close-up of the knitting.

IMG_1016

Check for updates in the next few days.

Oct 09

Rustic Sleeves Begin

Knitting 1 Comment »

With the disaster of the Eco Wool sweater behind me, I decided to knit the Seamless Hybrid, but one color this time! The body is done. Now I’m starting the sleeves (2 at a time on two circs) with a 1×1 twisted rib. Here’s a picture!


– Posted from my iPhone

Oct 07

Poulet en Cocotte Bonne Femme

Food No Comments »

Casserole-Roasted Chicken. I added some tarragon.

I’ve been wanting to try out this recipe since I read it in Mastering the Art of French Cooking (page 252)by Julia Child. I don’t expect a crispy skin as on a “regular” roast chicken. I know the bacon is a bit much…but it really is just a bit. You brown the chicken on all sides in the hot bacon fat. Add some par-boiled potatoes, small boiling onions and the crisp bacon. Cover with tin foil and cover the casserole (in my case a Le Cruset) and pop it in the oven.

First impressions are that I may miss the crispy-brown of a roast chicken and roast vegetables. The covered pot creates a lovely moist atmosphere. The smell is delighful…taragon and onions with a slight under note of bacon. But appearance does count for a lot and I suggest a more aggressive browning at the start of the recipe. I was going to show a picture, but it’s so beige…white onions, white potatoes and white/yellow chicken. While delicious, it doesn’t make for pretty pictures! So I leave you with this…the progress on my Discovery Sock. I took the Rib and Welt Diagonals pattern from Barbara Walker’s A Second Treasury of Knitting Patterns. This pattern was used in the Darkside Cowl and I loved it…and still love it on this sock. So my “Discovery” sock is going to become a pair of new socks…

sock

Oct 07

(Back) Up and Running

General No Comments »

OK, well, I’ve lost all of my previous posts. Funny, only a short time ago this would have made me crazy. But it seems the last year has given me perspective and this is a small bump, and fixable. So, we begin again. Things will be changing from time to time as I re-learn how to customize. And, maybe as a result I’ll remember to back up, to keep the software current and to post more often.

Wednesday, here we come.

preload preload preload