Lizard Feet and Cherries Jubilee

Yesterday, I made a startling discovery. That really cool stitch pattern that was on the socks someone sent me was the reverse side of eye of partridge. How do I know this? I discovered that when I wear the socks with my ankle brace, I have a lovely eye of partridge pattern on my legs and foot when I take my shoes and brace off.
See my lovely lizard foot?


I had a pretty good week last week. I got some contest prizes mailed and took care of a lot of pesky issues that had needed completing. It gave me a great sense of accomplishment. I ended the week by getting some new yarn. This is from an indie dyer called The Crafts Meow.

The red one is called Cherries Jubilee. The color is much richer and redder in person. Apparently, I am incapable of photographing red things.

The darker color is called Blackwatch Swirl. It is a gorgeous blend of teals and deep purples. I already have some ideas about what these two yarns will grow up to be. Only time will tell if the yarn agrees with me.

Getting the Boot

... or at least the foot.

Yesterday, to my excitement, I found a package awaiting me at the post office. I hurriedly opened it to find...

buried among the layers of packing material...


a foot.


Scratching my head, I searched further and found a note from my friend, Linda, not to be confused with Lynda or LINDA. I am not entirely sure what message she is trying to send me but I will hope it has something to do with her desire for me to knit more socks instead of some sinister threat.

The foot is quite spectacular in a Nestene sort of way. It already has a definite affinity for hand knit socks.
The Foot likes lace socks


The Foot likes cabled socks.


The foot even likes ankle socks.


And it will stand on its head to please.


The Foot is a tad larger than my own foot so I will need to make a tiny adjustment to future sample socks. Despite its size, the Foot is amazingly accommodating. It doesn't seem to mind what ridiculous pose I put it in; how long I make it hold that pose; whether the weather is hot or cold outdoors or even if I use the flash.


The Foot also serves as a handy-dandy needle holder. Let's see a real foot try that.


Foot seems to have a natural talent for modeling too. Check out that point.


All that remains now is for the kids to name it. Don't laugh. They name everything. My dress form is named Suzy, my foam heads are Mandy and Maddy. I am starting to get quite a collection of assorted body parts. Those who didn't know I was a knitter might be a little concerned about my hobbies.

Thank you, dear Linda, for my gift. I promise to dress it up often.

---

Socks show above from top to bottom are:
Naughty socks
Owen Socks
Amber Waves Slipper Socks
Purple Mountain Slipper Socks
Medusa Cascade Socks
Owen Socks

Crocked Again

The crock pot adventure continues.

Last week, I tried Smoked Sausage and Bean Stew from the Crockpot 365 blog. I found it to be quite delicious even though I substituted veggie broth. The recipe was filled with yummy veggies and I didn't have to stand over the stove or heat up the oven to prepare supper. The recipe made just enough for a good hearty meal with leftovers for lunch the following day.


Last night, I tried another crock pot veggie adventure - ratatouille. My youngest has been nagging me since that movie came out to make ratatouille. I had my doubts about whether he would eat it but a cold with its accompanying sort throat convinced me I wanted comfort food. I have cooked ratatouille the old-fashioned way, but I was curious about how it would work in a crock pot.

After searching diligently for a recipe, I settled on this one. I tinkered with the recipe a little. I used two medium-sized eggplants instead of one large, I sweated the eggplant with salt before adding it to the cooker so it wouldn't be bitter, I increased the garlic to be closer to the traditional recipes, I used tomato paste instead of fresh tomatoes and I substituted yellow squash for half of the zucchini. I also cooked mine on High for the first hour and stirred the concoction mid-way. The results were as expected, everybody but the kid that has been pestering me to make ratatouille for years liked it. Mr H ate three servings. And with all those veggies and olive oil, it has to be good for you. It was exactly what my cold-infected body wanted. The recipe made enough for a hearty meal and enough leftovers for lunch, though SmallFry will probably be happier with a sandwich. If I make this recipe again, I would probably put the herbs and spices between the two layers instead of on top.

Today, I am going for something SmallFry will eat so the crock pot is already working with a chicken for roasting. To this, I will add his favorite veggies so there will be no tears at the table. I will wait until tomorrow to spring a new recipe on him. :-)

Holiday Head Start

Yes, I know the temperatures are above 90 and school hasn't even started back yet but Christmas is only 146 days away. Time to start thinking about that holiday knitting. To help jump start the holiday, I am announcing the Tabitha's Heart Holiday Head Start Sale. From now until 11:59pm 31st August, for every two patterns you buy, you will receive a third pattern (of equal or lesser value) for free.

Here is how it works. Simply buy two patterns at the same time. To receive your free pattern, you can either leave a comment in the invoice at the time you pay, email me at support AT tabithasheart DOT com or PM me through Ravelry with your choice for free pattern. The free pattern link will be be sent through Ravelry or emailed to you within 24 hours of receipt of payment.

So if you were having trouble trying to decide whether Uncle Bob would prefer a hat or socks, give him both and get shawl pattern for yourself as a bonus.

Happy knitting!

What a Crock

I love the convenience of cooking in a crock pot. I love the feeling of organization that comes from knowing at 9:00am that supper is totally under control. I love that crock cooking doesn't use a lot of electricity and it doesn't heat up the house. So what is the problem then?

Most of the recipes that I find are for a big slab of meat covered with some kind of sauce. While this is fine occasionally, we eat more vegetables than meat. So I have trouble finding high-veg crock pot recipes. If you know a great one, I'd love to have you share the recipe.

I am trying one out tonight that is made with dried lima beans and stew veggies. The addition of steak sauce should make it interesting. Sure hope it tastes good. More importantly, I sure hope the kids will eat it. I will give you my review later this week.