Curling and Crochet

The Crochet

I did not knit today.  Instead I unravelled the edge on the almost completed Cadfael shawl.  I started the border a few days ago but put it down.  At the time I knew I should have put in a few more rows before the border but I was read to have it done.  After a little rest I was more prepared to do the ripping and re-crochet needed to do the job correctly. After a few hours I am now back to where I was this morning but much happier and ready to get this finished.

  This is the second shawl I have completed using Kat Strieby's lovely pattern.  We have hard copies in the store but soon the pattern will launch on Ravelry.  The shawl is a somewhat challenging but definitely doable with just a few hints about the increase pattern.  I had sort of put crochet away for a while but this one rekindles my crochet desire and I am already looking for something new to do.

This one is out of an older skein of Teresa Ruch Tincel yarn.  540 yards of soft and vibrant yarn that is perfect for warmer weather.  After this evening the main body of a shawl is now ready for a bold border design on the bottom edge.

The Curling
Last year Annie Raich (a frequent knitter at BlackSheep at Orenco and a neighbor) told us about her other hobby-Curling.  This year we managed to go there for a fun field drip.  9 couples but on our warm clothes and of course knitwear and went down to Evergreen Curling Club.  Once there were split up on to two sheets (the Curling equivalent of a bowling lane) and learned the fundamentals of Curling.  The game is very much like Bocce or shuffle board only quite a bit more complicated.

Instead of throwing balls at at a starter ball you slide a 45pound hunk of Scottish granite at a bulls eye ring far far down a sheet of ice.  To help you accomplish this task two of your team mates sweep the ice to help guide the granite blob towards it goal (for us it was more a matter of getting the thing over the scratch line so it was even counted).  Yet another member of the team is stationed down at the bullseye end of the sheet to yell and signal directions at the thrower so that he/she slides the granite down in just the right way to gain the most points.  Did I mention that you are supposed to do the granite sliding while crouched down in a one legged praying mantis like glide down a sheet of ice with a rubber shoe on one foot and a pad of teflon on the other?  Thankfully they had push sticks.  I was too afraid I would get down there and never get back up.

In all I found the game to be really fun.  I am especially fond of sweeping.  I hate sweeping at home but somehow sweeping a sheet of ice as fast as you can while running sideways is much more fun.  Most of us instead of getting cold came away sweaty from the exertion.   Here are some photos that Rod Wallace, Duncan Kitchin and Linda Kitchin managed to snap for us!

All of us on the ice getting our first instructions.

Duncan pushing the Rock with finesse

 Crystal and I watching the instructions so we are ready to sweep the granite in the right direction


Lynn and David ready to sweep
A Bullseye by Linda!

Another Day and More Rows on the Silk Shawl

I did not work a whole lot on the  Gentle Dip eshawl today.  Just a hour or so during the day when I was teaching a beginners class and then again this evening for a couple of hours.  The shawl is very easy and really the yarn is the most difficult part.  It is rather fine and then has slubby bits throughout.  I like the effect and am willing to put up with whatever bother the thick and thin and silk provides.

So far I have only put in one stripe.  I think I will swap out to green a couple more times making narrow bands of green until I get to the halfway point.

I sent some of the Loom yarn home with Terri (a regular customer and fiber dyer for spinning).  She is going to use the fuchsia and purple shades to create a crochet-ed Windowpane scarf: I cannot wait to see how it turns out.

The Loom Risoni Silk Yarn Project

A Bowl Full of Raw Silk Goodness

I love this yarn but I had a hard time figuring out what to knit/crochet with it.  At first I thought about a bias knit very long and thin scarf.  Then I thought about a Missoni style scarf using two shades.  I started several-and under a deadline to find something to add to the April BlackSheep at Orenco Newsletter but Alas this project had to sit and be played with until I found just the right project.  This morning in a fit of insomnia I came upon something I think will be good!  Over at Fran's blog called Wool Tribulations .  She has a crescent shaped shawl (and I do love crescent shawls best!).  She created this pattern to showcase her hand spun fingering weight yarns.  Of course it is great for this because in all of its striped goodness you can use up those shorter lengths you have spun up.  I decided to try it with the Risoni Silk because It is fairly simple in texture while being a great shape.  It is also two sided as you fold it in half.  I am looking forward to playing with the stripes as I knit.  I just started the pattern this morning:















Here is my progress so far.

I also picked Fran's pattern because her post was about Usk.  This lovely little village is just a few miles away from my Mother-in-law's village and when we visit I regularly make David drive me over for a walk around the antique stores, a stop off at the garden centre and a bit of lunch at the pub.  When I clicked on Fran's pattern from Ravelry I happily recognized the photos and her discussion about Usk and the Garden Centre.  I sent a comment off to her so I will now have to pick her brain for good yarn/fiber stores to visit the next time I am there.

Lately I have been experiencing a bit of what I call a crochet Renaissance.  Kat Streiby's Cadfael Shawl is a crochet workout.  No individual stitch is difficult but because I have been mostly a vintage pattern crochet lover There were new stitches I had never used and the four row sequence pattern was never boring!  In the last few weeks I have crocheted two of these shawls getting ready for Kat's pattern launch on Ravelry at at the upcoming TNNA convention.  We are taking photos this weekend so watch for an update-I Promise I will be blogging much more frequently from here on out.  Saturday will be photos of my progress and Cadfael photos/links etc.





http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/windowpane-scarf-3

The Winters Frost Hat

You can find the  Winters Frost Hat pattern here.

Christmas Elf Hat AKA Penny's Christmas Hat

Christmas Elf Hat can be accessed by clicking here.

Christmas Handwork Guild Fun: Cookie Exchange Recipes

We held our first annual Christmas Cookie Exchange on our regularly scheduled Hand Work Guild Night. The array was delicious! I have included two of the recipes here but add your favorite Christmas recipe in the comments!  Who doesn't love a good cookie.

 The Cookie Table

 Margret Talking to Kelly about Tatting :)

 Orange Mollasses Cookies (Grace Johnston invention)

These cookies scream holidays. They are spicy and orange and oh so soft.

• ⅔ melted coconut oil
• ½ cup white sugar
• ½ cup packed brown sugar
• 1 egg
• ¼ cup molasses
• 1 1/2 teaspoons orange extract
• 2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1-1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• ½ teaspoon ground cloves
• ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• ⅓ cup white sugar (for rolling)
• the zest of three oranges

preheat oven to 350 degrees

mix together coconut oil and brown sugar. add in orange extract and molasses.

mix flour, baking soda, salt, white sugar, and spices.

take a pinch of orange zest and toss with your rolling sugar. set to the side to infuse.

slowly add dry mixture to wet mixture, as well as the rest of the orange zest. mix until combined.

take dough and make 1 inch balls in the palm of your hand, rolling in the orange sugar, and place on a baking tray lined with wax paper. 

bake at 350 for 12-14 minutes until firm at the edges.

Kelly Slack says these cookies have no name-they are just those Corn syrup, peanut butter and cornflake cookies.  She has been making the since college and they are on the internet :)

Peanut Butter Crunchies - An Easy Christmas Treat!

Author: Merry

Recipe type: Dessert

Prep time:  5 mins

Cook time:  5 mins

Total time:  10 mins

Serves: 24

 

Ingredients

• 1 cup corn syrup
• ¾ cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup peanut butter (crunchy or smooth both work)
• 4 - 6 cups of corn flakes
• waxed paper

Instructions

1. Combine corn syrup and sugar in a large saucepan over medium high heat until the sugar dissolves (but don't bring it to a boil).
2. Remove from heat and add peanut butter.
3. Stir until smooth.
4. Add corn flakes. More cornflakes gives you a crispier treat while less gives you a chewier treat. (I make mine chewier.)
5. Drop using two spoons onto wax paper and let cool.
6. Makes approximately 2 dozen.

Notes

When storing these, make sure to layer wax paper between the layers or they will meld together in one big lump.

Kelli found the recipe at: http://merryabouttown.com/bake-peanut-butter-crunchies-easy-christmas-treat/,

Free Pattern: Soft Tui Cowl

This cowl is knit extra wide (or long depending on how you think about it!) and then folded in half so it is of double thickness.  The chain construction of the baby alpaca yarn makes is oh so soft and light as a feather!

Yarn: 4 skeins Misti Alpaca  Tui (each is 120 yds, Sport weight).   Two skeins in Charcoal Gray, one skein of light Gray and one in black.
Since these skeins retail for $6.00 each this yarn makes for nicely priced project or gift for someone special.

Needles: Size 10, 32 inch circs.

Cast on: 200 loose stitches
You can choose to do a provisional cast on as you will be joining these when you fold the cowl but I did not I used a darning needle and sewed the two edges together.

Twist your work one time to form a Mobias ring (there are may tutorials with clever ways to do this.  Frankly I seem to do it accidentally most of the time).

Knit around creating random stripes with widths in whatever manner you like.  I worked shorter and darker stripes on one half of my work and then shifted to lighter broader stripes on the second half.  Continue to knit until you are almost out of yarn.  I made sure to start and end with the same yarn color.

Save 3 yards of the beginning and end shade for stitching the two edges together (Charcoal for me). If you choose the provisional cast on technique save enough to bind off the two edges.

When I had almost run out of yarn I very loosely bound off.  I then folded my piece in half so that my cast one edge was wrong sides together with my newly bound off edge.  Using pins I evenly distributed sections to that I sewed the two sides together evenly.  Using a loose whip stitch I joined the two sides together.  When finished the tube can be moved around to whatever striped sequence you like best.  When you wear this half of the front side will show and half of the backside.