Author: tabitha

Of Chickens and chocolate

Yet again a conversation on a social network has spawned a blog post. This time the topic was my chickens. I have a hen and a rooster that were given to me by a friend moving into a subdivision that didn’t allow livestock. Now these chickens were pets but the city didn’t agree with that assumption so I gained two chickens.

I wouldn’t have chosen this variety of chicken for myself as they are more ornamental than functional. They are a variety of Bantam called Silkies. They are quite unusual looking chickens. Their feathers don’t have webbing which makes the feathers look like down or silkie fur. Their earlobes and beak are a blue/turquoise color and they have black skin. They have feathered legs and feet. Because they are so fluffy they look larger than they actual are. It is quite funny to seen them wet and realize how small they are.

The most unusual thing about them though, is not their looks, strange though they may be. They are unbelievable gentle and docile chickens who will follow you around the yard like a puppy. The don’t mind being handled and the are fond of the company of humans. My little hen will not eat until she has come over to my hand for a pat.

They are supposedly good mothers so I am planning to let my little hen hatch some eggs this spring. I can’t wait to see what the babies look like. The really will be little puff balls.

My friend Dana has decided that my chickens need knitted couture items so I have been hunting for just the right project for dressing up a chicken. I think I may have found a couple of winners in the latest edition of Knit on the Net. Perhaps a jaunty hat like Notorious with a multi-function scarf, like Recession Ruffle. So what do you think? What is the perfect item of knitted chicken couture. Leave me a comment and let me know what you think would be perfect knitted accessory for a little fuzzy chicken.

Another thing that came from my latest social networking was a discussion of cake icings. I happen to love the Coca cola Icing. It is chocolaty, creamy, goodness and one of the few icings that I will actually eat. Several have asked for the recipe, so rather than sending it to everyone individually, I am posting it on my website for download. You can download a copy of my Coca Cola Cake Recipe here (pdf format). I have been known to cheat and just make the icing. Works great on a cake mix chocolate cake.

Disclaimer
Please note that this talk of chicken knitting is all a bit of silliness. I have no intention of actually knitting for my chickens. They would probably try to eat the knitting and choke themselves. Please do not really knit for your chickens. If you do, I am not responsible for the consequences.

Ch-ch-ch-changes

If a picture is worth a thousand words, this post might qualify as a thesis. It is a collection of random photos that I have been meaning to share. Hope you enjoy.

From the What-a-Difference-a-Week-Can-Make category, this is what it looked like near my house last week

In case you can’t read that date (my finger was a teensy, weensy bit cold and shaky), it is March 1, 2009.

Perhaps I should remind you that this was taken in Alabama. You know, the heart of the Deep South. Home of the magnolia, mint julep and mosquito.

Now, fast forward one week and here is what my yard looked like.

Today’s high was 83 degrees.

SmallFry picked a bouquet of daffodils for the table so we had a tea party for lunch.

Tea party at our house means sandwiches (today’s selection was egg salad, peanut butter with apple & raisin, and cheese) cut in small pieces served with hot tea. The lovely flowers made it a festive affair.

One final photo to share in this post. This is my kids’ latest craft project. Can anyone guess what movie my kids watched the weekend?

Common bonds

I recently took part of a discussion on Ravelry about the foods that our mother’s cooked. Many of us have fond memories of the chicken & dumplings or potato salad that our mothers’ made. I think my mother makes the best chicken and dumplings and potato salad on the planet. My mom thinks her mother made both recipes better and my grandmother, in turn, thought her mother, my great-grandmother, made these foods best. I use exactly the same ingredients as my mother and my grandmother yet my versions don’t taste like theirs.

Neither of these dishes is complicated, they use ordinary ingredients, yet I am amazed by how many people have fond memories of the chicken & dumplings or potato salad that their mother or grandmother made. I have often wondered if it was actually the food that was so good or the fact that we were surrounded by those who loved us when we ate.

Still, there is no doubt that food ties us to one another. My grandmother shared her recipes with my mother who shared these same recipes with me. I, in turn, am now sharing them with my own children. These humble recipes bind us together as a family. But they also tie us to other people when we share common memories of how all our moms cooked our favorite foods. It is these little moments that help us realize that, though we are all often very different, we also have common bonds that bind us all together.

Knitting is one of those common bonds. All knitters, no matter their age, location, family status, ethnic background or standard of living, share a common language – the language of knits and purls. We may spell knit and purl differently, we may perform the stitches differently, and we have different pattern preferences but we are all drawn together by yarn and needles.

When you meet someone with needles in hand, you automatically connect with them. Knitting forms a kind of Sisterhood (and Brotherhood) of the Traveling Yarn. That person with needles in hand is instantly my friend because she is a member of the knitting sisterhood.

Similarly, Christianity also creates these amazing common bonds. No matter where I go, I have a brother or sister in the faith somewhere nearby. We are all connected by Christ, our adopted Brother. We all have the same Father. My church family is there to support me just like my physical family. Sometimes, they must bolster me when I face difficult times. Other times, I am the one doing the supporting. We share pain, weariness, joy and an occasional knitting pattern or recipe.

I am thankful for the friends that I have made through knitting. But I am particularly thankful for those knitters who are also my Christian sisters and brothers. We have a bond much deeper than sticks and string. We have the same goal in life – a heavenly home. In addition, I greatly appreciate those delightful people who follow this blog and take the time to comment. It is always exciting and encouraging to hear from fellow fiber enthusiasts and fellow Christians. But most of all it is wonderful to have that common bond to knit us together.

…that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God’s mystery, which is Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. – Colossians 2:2-3

The Hurrieder I Go, The Behinder I Get

Just when I think I am getting caught up, life throws me another curve. Here are a few things I forgot to share with you.

First, knitting photos.

Finally Finished
The Eternal Socks

I forget how long ago I started working on these socks but they were supposed to be summer socks so that gives you a hint. I started the pair as part of a knit-along and then decided that I didn’t want to knit the second sock. So I knit the second sock in a different pattern for another knit-along. Voila! Two KALs complete in one pair. And seriously who is really going to notice.

The patterns are Express Lane socks by Diane Mulholland

and Tidal Wave Socks by Deby Lake. The yarn is Cherry Tree Hill Summer Sock in Rose. I was excited about getting a summer yarn from CTH because I normally love their yarns. The color of this one is rich and full just like the other CTH yarns but is not the knitting dream that other CTH yarns have been. I think the blink may have too much acrylic. It doesn’t have good stitch definition, the thin-thick texture of the yarn fights with the lace pattern and the acrylic content makes the yarn hot. I think I will avoid this yarn in the future.

I also forgot to show you photos of my latest knitting pattern. I mentioned it in passing when I was telling you about the Rowan Classic Silk/Wool DK that Uncle Sam got me. But here is the finished item knit from that glorious yarn.

The Jessica Scarf

This is a fun to wear scarf because it narrow enough to be comfortable in a variety of styles.

It is also suitable for a variety of yarns. This blue version was knit from Sinfonia mercerized cotton

The leaning of the decreases in the lace pattern cause the edge of the scarf to have a slight wave to it making it very feminine.

The pattern is available as a Ravelry download
$2.50
add to cart

One final order of business is the awarding a winner to the acronym contest. No one correctly guessed that PBRMPCC meant Peanut butter with raisins, marshmallows, pecans and chocolate chips (which is actually pretty tasty as peanut butter sandwiches go) so we let the random number generator chose a winner.

And the Oscar goes to …..
Dorothy aka DotTap1956

If you will email me at tabitha AT tabithasheart DOT com (substituting the symbols for the words in caps and deleting spaces), I will email you your patterns. And since your entry made me laugh, I will throw in a copy of the Jessica Scarf pattern too.

Tax Time!

To many people in the USA, those words signify paperwork shuffling, headaches, and expense. To me, those words are like music to my ears. Tax time means it’s time for my Annual Serious Stash Enhancement. When Uncle Sam returns the money he has been borrowing from me all year, naturally there is nothing better to do with it than stimulate the economy with yarn purchases. So won’t you join me as we stroll through the 2009 Serious Stash Enhancement Expedition.

My first order was to KnitPicks who kindly scheduled a book sale just for me. The first book is one to get me started in my soon-to-be-newest vice. Spurred on by the gift of roving from my friend Tracy, I have decided to learn hand spinning so naturally I needed a book to help me along. I chose Teach Yourself Visually Handspinning
Teach Yourself Visually Handspinning (Teach Yourself Visually Consumer)

I have the knitting book in this series and found it to be a fantastic reference. This book every bit as good. With lots of large, color photos and clear but concise instructions, it will be a valuable asset to my knitting library.

My next acquisition was one I have been wanting for a long time but just never got around to buying. The Best Of Interweave Knits
The Best of Interweave Knits: Our Favorite Designs from the First Ten Years

I knew there were several patterns in the book that I wanted but I didn’t realize how many of them I truly love. This pattern book will provide me with knitting projects for years to come. The first will probably be the Icarus Shawl from the cover.

I also couldn’t pass up the opportunity to order some yarn and needles. This year I opted for Bare yarn so I could play with dyeing again.

Bare Wool/silk Sock Colorway: Natural

This is Bare wool/silk fingering weight. There is enough for a shawl or quite a few pairs of socks. The silk gives a slight amount of sheen and incredible softness. I want to attempt a kettle-style dyeing. I want a semi-solid with subtle color variations so the color won’t compete with the lace stitch pattern. I also got a few Harmony needles in sock knitting sizes. Can’t wait to try them out.

I decided to share part of my tax refund with WEBS too. They always have such wonderful selection. I have also been very pleased with their Valley Yarns brand. I ordered enough of the VY Northampton for a sweater.

Valley Yarns Northampton Colorway”Merlot Heather

This yarn is lovely, soft, comes in a fabulous selection of colors and is a sheer joy to knit. It is incredibly, reasonably priced too now how often does that happen. The only wools that I have liked this much where twice the price. I am starting to sound like an advertisement but it really is great yarn.

I also ordered Valley Yarns Goshen for Hey Teach

Valley Yarns Goshen Colorway: Sage
This yarn was an incredible surprise. This is the softest, most luxurious cotton blend I have ever felt. It makes me want to order all they have and roll in it. It makes me want to knit ALL my clothing from it – outerwear to skivvies. I seriously love this yarn. Kathy Elkins, the owner, helped me so much when choosing a color. She is positively terrific. But I discovered after viewing the color cards, that I don’t dislike any color in the line which is pretty unusual for me. I will be ordering it in more colors.

And since I was ordering anyway I needed to order a little sock yarn.

Shibui Knits Sock Colorway: Peony
Totally yummy

And a little more sock yarn

Berocco Ultra Alpaca Light Colorway:Prune Mix
Camera doesn’t do justice to the color. It is just filled with little bits of color. This may be a scarf instead of a sock

And a little scarf yarn

Rowan Classic Silk/Wool DK
You will be hearing more about this one in the very near future.

And a little lace yarn

Malabrigo Lace Colorway: 51 Vaa
The color is not accurate in the photo. It is much darker, deeper and richer in person. My camera just didn’t want to cooperate that day and I was too lazy to retake the photo. This may be becoming Icarus Shawl.

Thus concludes my Annual Serious Stash Enhancement Excursion. You will now be returned to your regularly scheduled life.