The "victim"

Materials

( I wrote most of this last week… there have been problems, frogging, re-casting on and progress; hopefully another NaKniSweMo post to follow soon!)

Learn all about NaKniSweMo

Basically, you knit a 50,000 stitch sweater in the month of November.  I decided to do it this year because:

• I need goals/deadlines to accomplish things
• I’ve never made a sweater for myself
• I’ve never made a cardigan
• I’ve only done a tiny bit of Austrian Twisted Stitch before
• yarn is from NH; so am I

I’ve had this yarn marinating in the stash for at least 2 years.  In a couple of other stashed wool yarns, I’ve noticed moth damage lately, so it’s definitely time.  I’ve been looking for the right pattern for this yarn for a long time, then I ran across a gorgeous pattern by Candace Eisner Strick (who is a genius & a favorite knit designer of mine).  It tuens out, she wrote this pattern FOR this yarn. SQUEE!

Because of the moth damage, winding the 9 hanks into yarn cakes took darn near  forever.  I will say this yarn spit-splices beautifully and that has mitigated the moth damage.

I knit the swatch on the suggested needles and came really close to gauge but didn’t like the fabric.

swatch on US6 needle

Mods:

• adding 1 extra garter stitch to “valleys” plus I need it bigger, more wearing ease

• instead of stockinette only past the cuffs on the sleeves, decided to do a subtle seed stitch – every 6 rows every 5 stitches a purl make it more interesting.  I saw it on another sweater someplace on Ravelry

So far I’m really liking the fabric I’m making on the bigger needles and it’s not so hard on the hands to stitch.  The yarn is such a lovely color – the pictures I’ve given you so far are just not right!  The yarn does have cashmere in it but so far I really cannot feel it – I’m hoping it softens up a lot during blocking.  Lots of  vegetative matter/little burr bits in the yarn;  I’m deciding to treat them as a sign of the sheep from whence the yarn came and the artesans who spun it and so on.

Wish me well!

After 36 entries by 14 entrants, we have chosen a new blog name for *The Individual Formerly known as Homeschool Kid*.

::::drum roll please::::

THE DUKE OF CURL!

Charity is the winner. Yay! I actually met Charity in person before I knew her online – that’s fairly rare for me. You should DEFINITELY check out her Etsy shop,  and her blog and the other site… (she’s way talented y’all). I’ll be sending off yer gift card soon.

Many thanks to everyone who entered! This was really fun; I think I’ll do contests oftener.

Just so’s ya know, I did ask The Duke of Curl to help choose his new blog name, and he chose that one.

I hope tomorrow to wrangle the Force of Nature back into her robot costume for the promised picture – I haven’t been able to get to it the last 2 days.

NaKniSweMo post tomorrow I hope.

A little mood music?

Here!

Ok, so the Force of Nature got it into her head that she was gonna make herself a robot costume out of cardboard (her favorite medium to work in)….and that was 2 months ago.  She has been staying up very late night after night painting, taping, fixing…I don’t know what all.  She was gonna be something else for Halloween, but she’s been so obsessed there’s really not been time for her to work on anything else….

Last night, at nearly the last minute, she got to attend a Halloween party at the local science museum.  They had a costume contest…and she WON!  I promise a real picture with her in it tomorrow (she’s in bed now) but here’s a poorly lit  cell phone pic to whet yer appetite.

We had some friends over for dinner and the kids went out trick or treating.  We watching a bunch of silly things on YouTube, including this – which gets my vote as the CUTEST THING EVER FILMED.

First off, I did finally make the Shepherd’s Pie a la Cracker and so here’s the recipe:

Shepherd’s Pie a la Cracker

• 3/4 lb. to 2 lbs. of ground beef *
• 2 cans of corn
• instant mashed potatoes (I like ‘Idaho Spuds’)
• Worchestershire sauce
• Ketchup
• salt and pepper
• paprika

In a pretty large skillet, brown the ground beef.  Once browned, you may drain the fat if you’re all siditty like that.  ) Swizzle Worchestershire sauce all over the meat, give it a rather healthy sprinkle of salt and pepper, then drain the ‘juice’ of one of the cans of corn into the meat mixture (you can add the juice from both cans but it just increases the cooking time, so I don’t usually).  Drain and discard the juice from the other can. Then add at least 1/4 cup of ketchup to the meat and stir; more ketchup is better. Bring this all to a medium/hard simmer over medium to high heat.  You want to reduce the liquid by about 2/3.  Keep an eye on it and stir occasionally.

While meat stuff is simmering, make yer mashed potatoes.  I usually make an “8 servings” amount, which usually occasions some math on my part because the box usually lists 6 servings then jumps up to 12 servings.  NOTE:  measure out yer potato flakes first, so you’ll know if’n you’ve got enough to make 8 servings.  If you don’t, adjust accordingly.

Once yer potatoes are done, the meat mix is usually done too.  Sprinkle both cans of (drained) corn over the meat, then spread mashed potatoes over the whole thing (like icing).  Add a few jaunty dashes of paprika on top.  Reduce heat a bit and let the whole thing warm through (about 2 1/2 mins).

Serve hot….with a bottle of ketchup on the table to0.

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* Use a fattier blend for real flavor and authenticity or better yet: get the ground beef in the plastic tube.  Also, the amount is variable – it depends on what you’ve got on hand.

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I can almost hear somebody out there saying, “Big deal.  So what makes it ‘a la Cracker‘?”  No, it’s not the addition of okra or anything like that.  For me it’s 2 minor things and 1 major thing:

• the use of instant mashed potatoes
• using the ‘juice’ from the canned corn
• the liberal use of ketchup as an ingredient (this is major)

I think anytime that ketchup is a serious ingredient in a recipe, then that dish has wandered into the “Cracker/White Trash Zone”.  It’s a little like the Twilight Zone except there’s some Lynyrd Skynyrd or Led Zeppelin playing in the background and  large quantities of alcohol are involved.  Oh yeah, less shaving and fewer suits too.  That doesn’t mean the food isn’t GOOD, ‘cos it IS.  If yer not too snooty or watching yer cholesterol, give it a try.  It’s yummy.

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Sarah said that she needed pictures and how can I deny her?  I haven’t done my hair today so that’ll have to wait, but here’s the Lizard Ridge Blanket so far:

I love the colors....

12 skeins of Noro Kureyon are here at Chez Oney and yes that is enough to start work on it.  However, I have a BUNCH of stuff on the needles right now, and several more things to make ASAP, so it’ll have to wait (and I’m planning on making and completing a whole sweater during November – NaNoSweMo for you jargonheads).  And I’ll keep on acquiring Kureyon at my beloved Yarn Expressions at the rate of approx. 1 skein per week.

My fingers ITCH to cast on......

• The Force of Nature’s soccer team won a game!
• -ate some wonderful food at Mezzaluna (try the Eggplant Parmesan appetizer; fantastic!)
• saw the movie “Good Hair” with some friends (I enjoyed it)
• Got some more Kureyon for the Lizard Ridge blanket (I’m halfway there)
• made zero progress on the Tapestry Cowl
• got “The Individual formerly known as Homeschool Kid”’s hair cut. Yay!
• since my hairstyle was making me feel OLD, I even got my hair cut (I now now own a flatiron to style it with….)
• no band rehearsal because the bandleader had a heart attack (please say healing prayers for Sylvester!)
• spent what seemed like endless hours tryna fix the Force of Nature’s cobbled-together iPod (I should post a picture – it’s held together with rubber bands for REAL)  and to remove some rather nasty spyware from my ‘puter
• Studmuffin left for Cali on a business trip
• I didn’t remember to call my brother for his birthday til like 2 am. I still haven’t called (
• Natasha’s limp has gone away as mysteriously as it came.
• posted one of my cutest ever posts (I think) about Domo-kun with cute pictures AND NOBODY COMMENTED      :::sad trombone:::  I guess everyone is too busy?  Or do you just hate Domo-kun?  Or is it me?

Today, I:

• forgot to put out the trash
• felt like crap all day
• spoke to 2 wonderful friends on the phone (I love you guys!!!)
• finished knitting No.1 Son’s birthday prezzie and am felting it (and felting and felting….)
• took a nap and was
• late making dinner and so
• burnt the spaghetti with meatballs……..

Life is good but I still feel yucky. It will pass…..  WHERE is the goshdurn heating pad?!
Meal plan Monday:
Mon- spags & meatballs
Tues- Shepherd’s Pie a la Cracker (this didn’t get made last week; I WILL share the recipe)
Wed- leftovers
Thurs- Mac & cheese & salad
Fri- Romano Beans & rice
Sat- Soup & sandwiches/Corn Chowder
Sun- Chinese take out

CONTEST Reminder

Contest ends on October 31st, 2009 at midnight Alabama time, and the winner will be announced when I get around to it (probably during the following week).  My choice will be completely arbitrary and humor is encouraged.  )
Please submit prospective names in the comments – the name I choose for him will win a $14 gift card to Starbucks. If you live someplace without Starbucks, I’ll contact you directly and we’ll work it out.
See all the other names submitted in the comments here

Toodles

Warning:  silliness to follow

For a number of years, I have been enamored of the mascot of Japan’s main tv network.  His name is …..

Domo-kun!

He’s been making inroads into the hearts and minds of North Americans lately; last year Target made him a centerpiece of their Halloween campaign, so you may have seen him around.  A number of years ago, I got Studmuffin a Domo t-shirt; it was harder to explain back then who Domo-kun is.  Wonder where that tshirt is?

You might imagine with a name like “Mr. Thank you”  (that’s my translation of his name), he’s got a lot to do:

Like terrorizing the countryside….or

…taking a dance class from over-caffeinated flowers…..or

…reveling in a field of pumpkins.

Even with his busy schedule, he’s made time for a visit to Chez Oney!

Turns out, he’s into yarn…..

He’s gonna help me show the stuff I got when visiting Louisville, KY 2 weekends ago.

Let’s see what’s in here…..

OH BOY!  ATARI!  (that means “Victory”  in Japanese)

Oh this is nice stuff: 80% superwash wool/10% nylon/10% CASHMERE fingering weight? Domo approves!

He says, “It’s so pretty and soft…”

It looks good enough to eat, doesn’t it?  Well DON’T.  Much better for knitting with.

Domo-kun recognizing excellent yarn when he sees it….I think he wants it for his own. No Domo!  I *know* it’s Japanese yarn, but you’ll just have to get yer own.  Sorry…

Wait….WHAT”S THIS???????

A new creature?

Domo-kun says, “Ummmm….I gotta go.”

This is our new cat, Kali.  She’s named after the Hindi goddess of destruction and rebirth.  And no, I did not name her. )

Anyway, she spent most of her first month with us under one of the kid’s beds.  She’s come to be much more out with us in the last couple of weeks as she is still pretty timid around the dogs.  If she can’t get out, she likes to pee on my laundry, and for a while there, she was using “The Individual Formerly known as Homeschool Kid’s”  open dresser drawer as a litter box. Hopefully, we’ll get all these issues worked out and soon….

She’s rather sweet and her fur is very soft.  I hope to get a picture of Kali and Bluto together so you can get an idea of what a BIG cat he is….still King of the Pets here at Chez Oney.  Kali did not want her picture taken…

“Do I *have* to?  Well, perhaps with a suitable inducement, I might permit a couple…”

“Ah yes,,,,PET me!”

I wish I could’ve gotten a better picture of her eyes; they are very pretty and golden.  Unfortunately, my digital camera met with a catastrophic accident this week, so I’ve just got the cell phone pix.

The kids were hoping that a younger cat would be interested in playing.  Kali is about 3 years old, but she’s not interested in playing at all.  Now if there’s a SPIDER coming across the floor – she’s FIERCE, but she will NOT play otherwise.  She adores being petted, and especially likes smooshing her paws on my squishy bits but doesn’t sink her claws into me.  One intersting thing: Kali is the ONLY cat I’ve ever known that did NOT like canned cat food.  Canned tuna?  Oh yes.  Fancy Feast?  No way.

Natasha woke up limping pretty heavily this morning – I’ve no idea what’s wrong with her;  can dogs sleep on something “wrong”  like humans do?

I’ve mentioned I’m playing keys in a band, yes? Well here’s the kind of music we play.
http://www.imeem.com/helenkosings

OK, ok so it’s kind of lazy to just post videos instead of writing….well, at least I think so.  However, I think the video below applies to what’s happening with me right now.

I’ve been kinda consumed with fear about this new band venture I’m involved in.  Yep, I’m playing keys for an R&B/funk band.  We had our first rehearsal on Sunday night and they are good, and I am NOT.  So I’m practicing and practicing and trying not to panic.

See, this may seem strange to many, but I know that this fear is a good thing and it’s a big reason why I decided to do this.  Since my brain went wonky four years ago, even the way I learn music is different than before…and it’s much harder.  I really enjoy playing piano/keyboards but I m not very good at it, and I know I don’t practice nearly enough to reach competency.  And of course I’ve got every excuse as to why I can’t/won’t/shouldn’t/don’t feel like practicing at any given moment.  So I really needed an opportunity just like this, where other people are depending on my skill and God provided it for me.

Don’t get me wrong, the possibility of failing at this big time & in public is VERY real and at the moment, it seems just about certain! But this is why it’s so good for me because there’s also the chance that I will rise to the occasion, and this is a very different kind of gig for me:  I’m NOT in charge, I’m not singing any leads, I’m not running the rehearsals or doing booking, and not only am I the newest member of the band (some of these folks have known each other for many years), but I’ve got the fattest(not phattest. oh no….), geekiest look happening, I’m the lone white person AND I’m the weakest musician.  How’s that as a recipe for success?  I’m way out of my comfort zone…and that’s GOOD.

So here’s a motivational little clip for ya.  Wish me luck y’all and I’ll let you know when our next gig is.

Oh yeah and a menu plan for Monday! I usually do this every week; I’ve just been forgetting to post them:

Mon-  Tri-color Tortellonis
Tues- Fish
Wed- Hot Dogs on ze grill
Thu- Shepherd’s pie a la Cracker
Fri- Beef Stew
Sat- Chicken Cacciatore Stoup  ( A Rachel Ray recipe)
Sun-  Leftover or cheap eats out
If anyone is interested in the “Shepherd’s pie a la Cracker” recipe, leave a comment and I’ll either email it to you or post it here.  It’s a much quicker weeknight version of Shepherd’s Pie, adapted from my memory of my Dad’s dish and quite a favorite with my kids.

Ok, ok I could NOT get the widget to work properly, so you’ll have to go to the mirror blog to listen. Sorry.

LISTEN HERE