Cranberry Marmalade...harvest canning continued

It's not unlike cranberry relish, but it's cooked longer and has a more delicate flavor. I'm pretty well pleased with this recipe, but next year I will probably double the citrus.

We'll be giving some of these as gifts, some with the usual breakfast stuffs, and I can't wait to try it with roast duck!

Apple Pie

...and applesauce cheddar turnovers.

Mock (Green Tomato) Mincemeat

Two posts today! I've had a few requests for the recipe, and it seemed easier just to put it here and provide links (yes, this means that I'm lazy).

This will make two scant pints. Lots of booze...if you want to make it less costly, use all cider, and give the stuff a drink now and again in the traditional manner, instead of canning it.

You could also easily up the apple/tomato portions to one pound each. I had only 12 oz. of green tomatoes, so that's what I used.



Mock (Green Tomato) Mincemeat

1 navel orange (pulp free of membranes, chopped; zest chopped)
zest of one lemon; half its juice
~12 oz. finely chopped (peeled, cored )apple
~12 oz. finely chopped (cored) green tomato
1/2 c. each of these dried fruits: currants, cherries, cranberries
1/4 c. each of these dried fruits: golden sultanas, apricots
2/3 c. sugar; 1 tbl. molasses
3/4 c. brandy [I used cognac)
1/4 c. Cointreau
1/4 c. sweet cider
1 cinnamon stick
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ginger
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. clove
5 grinds black pepper
1/8 tsp. salt



Chop all fruits and zest in roughly uniform size...about equal to a large raisin for dried fruits, 2x as big for fresh. Mix everything together.

Simmer over very low heat, stirring frequently so it doesn't catch, for two hours. It will be very thick, dark, and sticky. Taste for seasoning; adjust if necessary. Remove cinnamon stick.

If canning, process for 25 to 30 minutes in a water bath.

More apples

Applesauce and bourbon apples.



















Yesterday I made mock (green tomato) mincemeat.









Does anyone know where I can get traditional mini pie tins? I think we're having mince pies this Christmas!

Apple Roll-Call

Thus far...

apple marmalade, cinnamon apple jelly, cider applesauce, bourbon apple slices, and Dutch apple cake.

Tomorrow: green tomato/apple mock mincemeat.

The Jelly Cupboard

Here's part of what we brought home on Sunday.

And here is DH, doing his part.


Apple marmalade under way...


As of this evening there's a second batch, and a batch of cinnamon apple jelly. Next I'm planning on applesauce. Any more ideas? I think there will still be apples!

Actual Knitting Content

Though we went apple picking today, I thought I'd post a genuine FO, one that has even reached its recipient.

This is a simple pattern from Lion Brand online, one of the freebies. It's a three to six month old size, and the yarn is Cascade 220 Superwash.

I picked up the buttons months ago, because even though they're far too cute to be worn by an adult, who am I to resist cats + yarn? (I knew they'd come in handy for some garment or other.)

It was a quick knit; I think about 4 days start-to-finish.

More on apples later this week. And vintage cookbooks. And...marmalade, pies, and cakes.

Apples

By definition (overseas and everwhere but Vermont, I think), I'm a Yankee. Not born in New England, but upstate New York...and I grew up thinking Yankee, reading Yankee Magazine and devouring books on the Northeast and New England.

Part of that heritage is apples. When I was small we'd occasionally go apple-picking and to the cider mills in the area. From my early 20s to 2008, the only orchards I saw were the ones I drove past on my way to somewhere else.

Last year DH and I finally went apple-picking. We picked half a bushel of apples and I made apple marmalade and did quite a bit of baking.

The marmalade was an enormous success with everyone who tried it and I want to make at least twice as much this year. I'd also like to experiment a bit with apple pies...when we last visited Concord, MA I picked up a wonderful cookbook devoted entirely to baking apple pies (!) and am looking forward to trying some of the recipes soon.

Macintosh aren't in season any longer, so we'll be dealing with other varieties. The one variety that I have been searching for for most of my life--I kid you not--is called the Rhode Island Greening. Particularly appropriate now that I'm living in Rhode Island, isn't it?

I first read about it in a children's book set in the 1940s. The main character's mother decides she'll bake a pie to enter at the fair if she can find some of these heritage apples (they date at least to American Colonial times).

With the recent push for organic and heritage varieties of produce and meat I have high hopes, but we haven't found any yet.

It's entirely possible that I will simply have to buy my own tree. They are available, but it'll take up quite a lot of space in our small yard.

If anyone out there knows of a local orchard where I can find some, I'd be grateful!

And after I make the marmalade, I will post the recipe. As it happens, I found it in the (hardcover) Yankee cookbook, first published in 1939.

Still cooking. And knitting.

It's this autumn weather (that's my story and I'm sticking to it). I can't resist. Today I'm making chicken liver pate from the left-over livers that didn't make it into last night's meat loaf. And we'll have that with toast points. For a main course, sauteed mushrooms over toasted or fried polenta.

As for the knitting, it is ongoing. As usual, a plain vanilla pair of socks. These are really plain; just anklets made from my tough-as-nails (but comfortable) slubby yarn. This is the plum color.

There are two other pairs, too. One for DH, in blue, and a yellow pair for me, both designs from More Sensational Knitted Socks.

I finished a baby sweater that just reached its destination. Medium blue (Cascade 220 Superwash) with great buttons, kittens playing with a ball of yarn. And I've made a neck cowl for a Christmas gift. It's done and blocked; I only need to sew on the buttons.

There are two cardigans under way. One is corn yellow, worsted. The pattern is from the late 30s. I am also making the 1921 cardigan I mentioned a few posts ago. The yarn is peach colored sports weight.

And...I still have not put the early 30s pullover together! Ridiculous, I know. It will only take me a couple of hours at most, and I'll have a new sweater. (It had better fit.)

The New Blog Header

I owe this to two people.

One: the person who took the photo at a Chifferobe event early this year (I need to get his or her name and give credit).

Two: Ami of Charm City Daily .

Most of the credit goes to Ami. Many, many thanks!!!

Gem Brownies

I love brownies. Who doesn't? (Maybe the benighted creatures who don't like chocolate...but no one else springs to mind.)

My brownie recipe, which I will not be posting here (sorry, a gal has to have some secrets), is very adaptable. I make "regular" brownies, cranberry brownies, and gluten-free, dairy-free brownies. They're all good.

But there is one drawback; it's difficult to get all of them out of the pan and looking good. Brownies don't have to be pretty, but they shouldn't resemble the dog's dinner.

On Tuesday I went to a little dinner party and wanted to bring something sweet with me. Baking a regular batch of cookies would have taken too long, and I decided to try something different.

This is what I found: one basic brownie recipe will make 40 gem-sized brownies! I lined the gem tin with tiny paper frills (mini cupcake papers) and put about one teaspoon into each. Baked for 25 minutes, turning the pans a few times, and cooled, they were perfect.

Then I iced them with a mixture of milk chocolate and one square of bitter chocolate, with a dash of butter, and topped with colored sprinkles before the chocolate set.

Perfect little bites!

Now I want to make cranberry brownies that way for Christmas, topped with candied cranberries.

Happy October

Not that we're having what I'd call classic October weather...it's windy and breezy, true, but muggy. And the rain keeps spitting.

Even so, October. And to me, that means fall. I love fall. It's my favorite season, bar none, and even all these years out of school it makes me think of new beginnings, or at least a new start on an old project.

That means my book. I started an historical mystery in 2009, and was moving along very well until about a year ago, when I ground to a halt. Didn't outline the plot thoroughly, it got too complex, and bogged down in details (the story of my life, but not the story of a good mystery).

So here I go again, this time sparked not only by the month October, but also a chance remark by an acquaintance (a published writer) on Facebook. Thanks, Margery!

I will also be updating and changing the blog somewhat. I've changed the title to simply Art Deco Diva, though the link remains the same, at least at present. The photo at top has been changed, and I'm working on a proper header, which might take some time, as the code Word uses gives Blogger indigestion.

Here's to continuation and improvement, and new beginnings! Cheers.

Cooking (and baking) from the Pantry

It's something I like to do. I mean that it's not only thrifty, but an interesting challenge, to make meals or desserts with what's on hand. There's a charm to it, a feeling that one has managed to fit puzzles pieces together. It's fun.

In addition to the 1933 Monitor Top refrigerator, we have a small chest freezer in the cellar. I love that thing, and it's the most modern kitchen appliance we own. It enables me to make stock and freeze it in large quantities and small, turn leftovers into something interesting and put the result away long enough to be appetizing again and buy food, meat particularly, when it's on sale.

Today I realized the cookie jar was empty and when I came to again it was quarter to four and there it was: gingerbread oatmeal cookies, plum-raspberry crisp, pan-roasted chicken with rosemary and root vegetables, and (for tomorrow) chicken ragu to be braised in beef stock and red wine, with more root vegetables.

All of the ingredients were here. The chicken had been defrosted from the freezer (five legs) and had to be used up; there was leftover beef stock and red wine. I keep potatoes and onions in the cellarway and always keep the baking cupboard (really) stocked.

The tricky part is cooking for two rather than four or more...DH gets as bored as a five-year old with leftovers, and I really hate to waste food. But I'm learning.

Here's the recipe for the cookies (adapted from Gingerbread: 99 Delicious Recipes from Sweet to Savory, by Linda Merinoff).

Gingerbread Oatmeal Cookies ~ 70 cookies

1/2 c. unsalted butter
1/4 c. molasses
1 c. white sugar
1 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
3/4 tsp. ground cloves
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 large egg
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 c. white flour
1-1/4 c. rolled oats [uncooked]
3/4 c. bits of candied ginger
__________________________________________

Before you begin: pre-heat the oven to 375 F. Heavily grease cookie sheets, and when putting the dough on them, bake no more than 6 per sheet [they begin to stick only a minute or so out of the oven, and this way you've got a fighting chance to get them off the sheet without disaster].

Melt the butter and allow it to cool slightly.

Measure out the dry ingredients and whisk together. Beat the molasses and vanilla into the butter, then add the egg and blend. Mix the dry and wet ingredients together.

When the oven is hot, space the cookies at least 2" apart on the sheets (they will spread). Make each from one heaping teaspoon full of dough. If you like, neaten with your fingers after dipping them into cool water.

Bake for approximately 10 minutes, turning half-way through to ensure even baking. Use a spatula to remove and put onto racks quickly and carefully. If they stick too much, return to the oven for a moment and try again.

Cool cookies completely before storing. These are rich, a little sticky, chewy and crisp at the same time. If you like molasses you'll love them.

Even though I haven't seen Boardwalk Empire...

...a few days ago I cast on for a 20s cardigan. 1921, to be exact, a Bear Brand/Bucilla pattern. (Yes, I know the above-named show is currently in 1920.)

I am using a soft peach colored cone yarn I bought on eBay about four years ago, and am praying that I don't run out! It's exactly the right gauge using recommended needles...per inch AND per row, and it looks swell.

I have also just done the first major frogging. Don't work even a very simple pattern with no shaping after 11:00 p.m. if you're tired. It's a bad idea (why is it, though, that I can manage after a martini? h'mmmm?).

Where did August go, anyway?

Ooops. It's almost October, and not a post have I made. (August wasn't all that fascinating, either, except for the 28th, which was lovely.)

But...the weather was good, my garden grew, and I did a lot of baking. Nothing very new.

On the 28th of August, however, DH and I attended the Jazz Age picnic (second of this past summer) at Governors Island, right off of Manhattan.

It's a small (to those who Gatsby) picnic with wonderful live bands, some vendors, a bit of food, and Jazz Age recreation like a pie contest (no, I didn't enter; somehow, juggling a pie all the way from Providence didn't sound appealing), and a tug-o-war. It ran for two days, but we attended only on Saturday.

We had a good time and were able to meet up with old acquaintances and also to be introduced to others who I hope will become acquaintances or friends in the future.

The bands were Michael Arenella and his Dreamland Orchestra and Drew Nugent and the Midnight Society .




It was a swell event, and we hope to get to more of them, including some of the other Art Deco themed events in Manhattan which seem to be expanding every week. (That's a good thing, a very good thing.)

Raspberry Pie!

Last night was the Chifferobe USO event. It was lots of fun, and I won the "Mom's Best!" Pie award. All of the baking and tweaking paid off. The dish was empty at the end of the night, which is even better.

I've promised to make another for friends to share with us.

The Back Yard

DH and I have spent time over the past few years mooning over 1920s and 30s magazines on House & Garden (various periodicals, various ideas). We've argued the merits of various fences and gates, over brick or stone, terraced or leveled,etc., etc., and so forth.

On Saturday we will finally be getting the asphalt broken up and removed from the back. It's ugly. It's also all over the place in level. At a guess, it was once terraced and quite formal, even though it's a small space.

I want the dip to the back filled in only slightly, and would like to build steps down...terracing along the top, and an English garden look throughout. Really formal gardens take a lot of work! They're not as pretty, either.

Has anyone out there transformed their own yard from chaos? What did you do with your lot (pun intended)? Why? What were the costs?

We're starting out with a blank slate, or nearly. Feel free to dish out some advice!

Old Fashioned is a good thing

I really think it is. Mind you, people will say it's corny...and maybe it is, but that doesn't bother me.

What's old-fashioned? Finding out the names of the people you hire to work on your house. Bringing them something to drink while they're working (especially on a hot day). And giving them home-baked cookies to eat on the way home.

We do that, and I've got to say that not only does it make us feel better about ourselves, it makes them feel better, too. They say so. And do better work for it. And know that we realize that they're real people, not just numbers or Workers.

It also means that I've got to bake another batch of cookies, and a big one, because they'll be back on Saturday, and you have no idea the damage that DH can do to a batch of homemade cookies! Here's a pic of the (batch of) Tollhouse Cookies I made on Friday (with milk chocolate chips and toasted almonds)...it's almost gone now. On Monday!

Still knitting

...really. I do knit, though it might be more accurate to change the name of this blog to 'Art Deco Diva Can't Stop Baking'.

I'm on another sock binge these days. Berocco came up with a yarn called Vintage (how could I resist?), and it's quite nice, for a blend. Wool + microfiber, I think. In any case, it's a light worsted, and superwash. I looked at it and of course thought "Fast socks! YES. I can knock out a thousand pairs of cushy socks for running." [Note: I haven't been running lately. Still....]

So far I've made two pair of white socks, a pink pair with lacy ankles, and I'm finishing up white with striped (pink & white) heels and toes, made up of leftovers from the other three skeins. It takes two to four days of steady work to make them, and I've got the basic formula down pat.


Vintage Anklets Women's size 7 - 9

1 skein Berocco Vintage (white, pale blue, pink, yellow, brown)
#3 (American) DPNs
3 stitch markers
yarn needle

CO 48 stitches. Swap out 1st & last stitch to join, and knit 18 rounds of 1 x 1 ribbing.

Begin the heel flap on the last 24 stitches of round 18:

**1. purl back
2. slip 1 knit-wise, *knit 1, slip 1 purl-wise*, end knit 1**

...for 24 rows.

Heel turn:

Slip 1, purl 12, P2tog, P1, turn
Slip 1, knit 3, SSK, turn

Continue to work, P2tog or SSK one before the gap with one after the gap, until you run out of stitches. [14 sts on heel needle]

Gusset:

*PU 13 (using slipped sts as guides), PU 2 at top next to instep stitches;
*Knit across instep
*PU 2 at top next to instep sts; PU 13; knit 7 sts onto needle

*Knit 7 remaining heel sts onto N1, knit into the backs of the first 13 gusset sts, SSK the last 2;
*Knit across instep
*K2tog; knit into the backs of the next 13 sts; knit the last 7 as usual

[Knit rest of sts as usual; the twisting of the gusset sts on this first round helps to close the gap after the sts are picked up.]

ODD Rounds:

N1: Knit to last 3 sts; K2tog, K1
N2: Knit
N3: K1, SSK, knit to end of needle

EVEN Rounds:

N1: knit
N2: knit
N3: knit

Repeat odd & even rounds until 12 sts remain on N1, 12 sts on N3. (If you begin counting when you begin to pick up for the gusset, and pick up the recommended number of sts, this will work out to 19 rounds.)

You should be back to 48 sts, as the instep count remains consistant at 24.

Foot:

Knit until about 2" from end of foot. For me this works out to 30 rounds. I wear an American size 8 or 8.5 shoe.

Toe:

Arrange sts so that there are 16 on each needle.

*knit 6 sts, k2tog, place marker* [42 sts]
Knit 6 rounds

Decrease round: *Knit to 2 before marker, k2tog*
[36 sts]

Knit 5 rounds
Decrease round [30 sts]

Knit 3 rounds
Decrease round [24 sts]

*k2 tog* [12 sts]

Knit 1 round

Cut yarn, run through remaining sts 2x; fasten off firmly.

Voila, a new sock!


Alterations/addendum:

For the leftovers socks, I knitted only 10 rounds of ribbing; leftovers from the pink socks (which had 16 rounds of additional knitting)will provide only enough yarn to stripe the heel flap and toe. [I choose my circular lace pattern from More Sensational Knitted Socks.]

Feel free to leave a comment if there are errors in the pattern, or if you find it confusing. (Feel free to leave a comment in any case, as it makes me feel Important.)

Lavender Cream Cheese Frosting

This large batch is enough to (barely) frost and fill a three-layer cake. If you want a more generous covering, fill with something else, whether jam or cream, or what have you.

If you need a smaller amount, halve the recipe. One tablespoon = three teaspoons.

Instructions for "making" lavender extract will be provided at the end of the recipe for the frosting.



Lavender Cream Cheese Frosting

(4) 8 oz. packages of cream cheese
(2) sticks unsalted butter [8 oz.]
1 tbl. dried lavender flowers
1 tbl. lavender extract*
lavender honey to taste
[optional] red and blue food coloring

Grind dried flowers. (You can use a food processor, but I prefer my mortar and pestle. It won't take long.)

Whip the softened cream cheese and butter together, and stir in the flowers and extract. Sweeten to taste with honey. If you wish to color the frosting, add tiny, equal amounts of food coloring. If using liquid, 2 drops each should suffice; if using paste, 1 dab each on a toothpick. The frosting should be very pale, more white than anything else.

This frosting is rich but not overwhelming. It is tangy, even when sweetened. It's particularly good on chocolate zucchini cake, and would probably be a good choice for carrot cake as well.



*Lavender Extract

Fresh lavender leaves
Good quality vodka
glass bottle with a good seal


Stuff the bottle very full of leaves. (Don't forget to wash them first, and pat dry.) Cover with vodka; close the bottle.

Leave in a sunny place for up to 18 days. Each day, shake gently.

When it's strong enough, strain and re-bottle. Use as you would any other baking extract.

Feather Cocoanut Cake 1928/2010

If at first (second, third, fourth, fifth, etc.) you don't succeed...bake again.

Thanks to a few of Rose Levy Beranbaum's tips for success (her Cake Bible is something every home baker should own) and a bit of common sense, I now have cocoanut [sic] cakes--cupcakes, actually--that look the part. They are airy, golden brown and have a curved top. No more sunken centers.

To achieve this, I cut back on the baking powder by 1 teaspoon (1/4 of the entire recommended amount), cut back on the sugar slightly, as I was out of fresh cocoanut and had to use sweetened, and changed the mixing method.

Feather Cocoanut Cake (1928/2010)

1-1/2 c. pastry flour
3/4 c. sugar
1 tbl. baking powder
4 tbl. butter (room temperature)
pinch salt
1 tsp. lemon extract
1/2 c. grated cocoanut
1 large egg
1/2 c. milk.

Measure out the flour and sift. Measure again, and discard excess. Measure the sugar, baking powder and salt into the flour and sift a second time. Whisk dry ingredients.

In a separate large bowl, cream the butter. Add in about 1/4 c. of the dry mixture and cream. Next add a portion of the milk, blend in well, and beat* for at least 30 seconds. Continue to alternate the mixing of dry and wet; add in the egg. After each incorporation, beat the batter again. Reserve a small portion of the dry to mix with the cocoanut; mix this in after the lemon extract.

Beat well, until the batter forms ribbons.

Makes one 9" cake, or 1 dozen cupcakes.


Bake at 375 F until gently risen and golden around the edges. If making cupcakes, begin checking at 13 minutes. Cake could take as long as 45 minutes.

DO NOT open oven until at least 15 minutes have passed, and be sure to open and close the oven door very gently.

Cool for about 10 minutes before turning out to cool completely.

Serve as is, or with lavender cream cheese frosting, or frosting or glaze of your choice.


*Yes, by hand! Fine; you can use your mixer if you want to, but this is a great way to burn off some calories before you polish off most of the cupcakes.

Happy 4th of July!

On to the 4th

Every year (or nearly) for the past 5 years, we have gone to a lulu of a 4th of July party. The friends who host it live in an old farmhouse a bit north of here.

The crowd starts rolling in in the early afternoon, and the last stragglers weave away on the following day (having camped out in the nearby woods).

I like to bring a few food items. Everyone contributes. Sometimes it's booze-soaked fruit on skewers, sometimes a cake, or a salad. Too, we bring spirits or beer, and something for the grill.

Everyone lounges around, talks, has a few drinks, eats to repletion and beyond, plays croquet (on a very uneven lawn) and some bands play. (The host has a band of his own, and many other musician friends.) There's also a chance that some of us will forget we're glad the 80s are past, and we'll bop around to various 80s music...all kinds.

But right now I'm fixated on the dessert I'm bringing. It's going to be a three-layer cocoanut cake with a lavender cream cheese frosting. And my inner cornball is helping freely--one layer is red, one is white...and yes...the third is blue. The frosting is nearly white.

The recipe is delicious. I found it in a 1928 Royal Baking Powder book. Caveat: the damn thing sinks in the middle, whatever I do. I've made it five times so far, so I should know.

The oven is hot enough. Believe me, when your oven dates from 1938, you remember to pre-heat. Two possible culprits remain: the mixing technique, or too much baking powder. I've been following the basic cookbook directions, and melting the butter.

Usually when I make a butter cake, I cream it in with the dry, and then add the liquid gradually, beating for a minute or minute and a half between additions...I think I'll try that next time. And lessen the baking powder amount. It calls for 4 teaspoons! That's a lot for a one-layer cake.

If you're a baker, feel free to sound off and let me know your opinions, and/or what you're done to correct the same problem.

When the cake is assembled, I'll post a photo or two.

Caroline Cloche

This pattern is from Popknits...which is no longer publishing, sad to say, but is still available online.

It's the hat in the center (being the only knitted topper). I used 100% silk yarn instead of Silky Wool, and the trim is silk. The badge is embroidered in a pattern from one of my 30s needlework books--I used mercerized cotton. The trim around the badge is from my stash. According to the receipt it was wound around, it's from 1941. The badge is backed with facing, which I applied after embroidery, but before the edging.

I dipped the hat in heavy starch before blocking, and it's unlined.

(The photo was taken at Chifferobe's Bayoo Ballyhoo...I am sorry, but at the moment I can't track down the photographer's name.)

Picnic...and A Movie

Not just any movie, either. King Kong (1933). If the weather holds, we'll be going to watch it near Tazza in downtown Providence.

I've packed a picnic supper to bring. So far we have these sandwiches: chicken salad with fresh thyme, cheese & butter spread with cucumber, and red onion (all on various white and brown breads).

For dessert we have cocoanut teacakes and peanut butter cookies. Probably lemonade to drink.

All will be packed into a wicker hamper complete with plates and cutlery. I've also sprinkled paper towels with rosewater for clean-up after.

I hope it doesn't rain!

Harvest of beauty

A rose is a lovesome thing...

God wot, and I agree.

Here's a list of some of the things I've planted this year:

marigolds, violas, pansies, black pansies, nasturtiums, columbines, California poppies, marguerite daisies, shasta daisies, blue lobelia, forget-me-nots, (more) peonies, Japanese iris, sweet violets...and more roses.


In fact, today we bought a David Austin rose, the Winchester Cathedral. It's white and full-blown, with a rose-pink tinge around the edge as it starts to bloom.

Coggeshall Farms Fiber Fest 2010

As you can see, we had a beautiful day for it. Very breezy, but otherwise perfect.



Lots of healthy, happy critters.


I think I went round twice before I decided what to take home. DH started right in, though.


He got (machine knit) alpaca blend argyles, honey, a vintage card game (it's a lot of fun, we played three times after we got it home), and I think one or two other things.


I finally picked out a cone of orchid colored Shetland in fingering weight...it might be enough for a cardigan. And best of all, wood (sweet) violets. Finally! I've been trying to find some for a couple of years now...but most nurseries just don't bother to carry them.



We had a great day. And Sunday wasn't bad, either--plant sale, gardening, and even better weather. But I'll save that for another time.

My Favorite Fiber Festival

Honestly. It's the festival at Coggeshall Farms, in Rhode Island.

Google (or Blogger or whatever) is being useless again, and will not allow the link to post. Please just search for the place; you'll find it. Click on "Events" and you'll find the information.

It's in Bristol, RI, a gorgeous little town. We've been there the past three years, and loved it every time.

It's at a working Colonial farm, and the festival itself is worth your time. It's small, but the vendors are wonderful. We've found gorgeous fiber (of course), delicious honey, a charming vintage style apron, and more...including some of the most beautiful, inexpensive cashmere I've ever fondled.

In addition, you'll get to see horned cattle and sheep, chickens all over, striped, serious working barn cats and a lovely small house, complete with weaving, cooking on the hearth and exquisite Colonial furniture.

If I'm organized enough to remember, I'll bring the camera so as to give you some views from our perspective.

So...it's tomorrow, Saturday, May 15, 2010. If you're within an hour's drive, do yourself a favor and go. It's open from 9:00 am to 4 pm, and you'll have a fabulous time.

(Don't forget, it's in Bristol...and in Bristol and neighboring parts you'll also find antiques stores, great grocers, consignment shops and a very good yarn store!!!)

The Inimitable Miss Horne

Lena Horne was one of the greatest Hollywood entertainers ever. A fabulous, gorgeous, smoldering, funny, earthy, talented woman; and in her heyday especially, dragged down by idiotic racists.

Miss Horne, I'm glad you were out there, brilliant, funny, and wonderful. Thank you for illuminating our lives and showing us just how incredible you could be. (And what you could inspire...you even inspired fictional characters. I remember a genie in a sci-fi story who venerated you above anything he could have invented!!).

To your family I send my deepest sympathies; I'm sorry you lost her on Mother's Day. Thanks for sharing her with the rest of us.

Of Uncle Fred and Bakelite in the Springtime...or something like that

Today has been a great day. It's spring. May. Sunny. Blue Skies. And Good Weather.

In addition, I've been reading Wodehouse, which is enough to make a cloudy, cold, early winter day seem bright. In addition to THAT, a vintage Score was made.

The book is Cocktail Time. Good title, isn't it? It's an Uncle Fred, and not the earliest...he's married, but as bright eyed, bushy tailed and interfering as ever he was. Really, next to Jeeves he's Plum Wodehouse's best creation.

(And I'm reading it because, bless the place, the Providence Athenaeum still keeps it in the stacks.)

As to the vintage Score (aka Bakelite napkin rings)...I saw them a few days ago at a local antiques mall. Not the one where I hold a booth. It's a little less pricey, and if you're willing to dig, a great place for a bargain.

These napkin rings were jumbled together in a plastic bag. Twelve of them. And the price?




[Wait for it...]




$16.00. Really. I kid you not. For twelve Bakelite napkin rings, in near-mint condition. They're Scottie dogs. On wheels. With bright little eyes. Now, DH and I did consider selling them. (I'd make a killing.) But can you see them holding place of pride at a buffet supper? Fala eat your heart out (look up FDR if you don't follow that).

Vintage Kitchen

Believe it or not...there's a possibility that my kitchen will be the background for part of a fashion shoot.

For bathing suits. (No, I don't see the connection either.) I'll keep you posted on whether this odd and interesting thing actually happens.

Here's the kitchen in question:

Hamlet!

Finally.

The David Tennant / Sir Patrick Stewart RSC production will premiere in the US tonight on PBS. 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time, and it will show for a while after on the PBS website.

(And I'm knitting a pair of 1950 cable socks in khaki yarn. For me. I've sized them down by using #0 needles. I'm on the toe of sock one.)

Happy Birthday David Tennant, and Welcome, Matt Smith

Odd mix, really, but there you go.

Today (though with Blogger's vagaries, the date will probably show wrong) is David Tennant's 39th birthday. Happy Birthday, Mr. Tennant, and I'm greatly looking forward to seeing "Hamlet" on Wednesday, April 28th!

Next, Matt Smith as the Eleventh Doctor. Well done! You're marvelous--loony and scatterbrained and brilliant. I loved "The Eleventh Hour" and am looking forward to the rest of the episodes for this season.

(Knitting? Another Cozy. This one rather over sized, and made of a charcoal tweed. Not wool, an acrylic/cotton blend, as it's for my mother-in-law, who is, sadly, allergic to wool. It's coming along nicely. It's going to be lap afghan sized, and will be very easy to care for.)

Cozy

After approximately one year of knitting, on and off, as I worked on socks and things for gifts & etc., I finished the "Cozy" [see knitty.com] in laceweight.

It's washed and blocking now, and it's lovely. If I say so myself.

I used a merino single, very, very soft with a bit of halo. It's in an almost (but not quite) varigated aqua, incorporating shades of chartreuse, turquoise and sky blue. The original pattern calls for a tweedy worsted, but I used this...not that I didn't think the worsted was a good idea, but I didn't think I had enough in one color.

The resulting wrap/shawl is a rectangle, 5' by about 2.5'.

It should be dry tomorrow, and I can't wait to wear it.

Now to finish my 30s sweater and get the baby sweater off the needles!

Clarence Budington Kelland

Mr. Kelland was a writer of movie scripts, novels, and best of all, short stories. The ones that I love have a central character named Scattergood Baines.

I first read these stories in the old magazines that we collect. (That's one of the best things about vintage magazines. The stories were stories, and not exercises in peculiar ego or Angst.)

Mr. Baines was "born" in 1915, and Mr. Kelland wrote about him for years, first in the Saturday Evening Post, and then The American (Magazine). The character is a down-home, folksy fella who doesn't often impress onlookers favorably...at first. They then find out, to their chagrin or benefit, that not only is he clever, his brilliance is something to have on one's own side whenever possible.

Scattergood Baines likes to dabble. In people, primarily, but he likes to make a cash profit whenever possible as well. Combining the two is his favorite way of operating. Prodigal sons, orphaned babies, young lovers, old folks who've had their independence taken away...he saves them all, one way or another, and you only wish that he lived in your town.

Many of the stories have been collected in hardcover, and are even available in present day editions, though of course I prefer the originals. After finding the first collection at the Providence Athenaeum I trolled the Internet for a copy, expecting it to be available and not too expensive. I was wrong...I'm not the only one, even now, who appreciates him! However, I lucked out recently on a "new" collection, Scattergood Baines Returns.

Check your library's old stacks for it. Reading a few of these stories is almost a vacation, even for some time after you close the book. You'll be glad you made the effort.

Check List for Spring

Yes, the workroom is cleaned up. Not pristine, you understand, but I can work in there now. I even made a (sewn) hat last week. Birthday present.

And I worked on a blanket square for someone on Knitty. So it's back to the correct function. The cleared out "stuff" went to the thrift shop, too.

We've had (it would seem) a very early spring this year. Not only have I tidied up the front garden and sidewalk, DH and I cleaned up the yard. It's still ugly and asphalt, but the chairs are out, I scored lots of earthworms, which are now in the garden and a container where I plan to plant herbs this year, and many encroaching vines and tree branches have been cut back.

Knitting has suffered a bit. There's a WIP--a baby sweater--that's well on its way. I even have the buttons. But right now I'm working on a 20s style headpiece for the next Chifferobe, which we'll go to on Friday. The socks I started last week got frogged, when I realized the instep pattern wasn't properly centered. I'm afraid to start another pair, because I don't want to be led astray from the baby sweater, even though it's not needed just yet. The Sweater Curse, you know.

Speaking of which, the 30s sweater is still in pieces. Soon, though, I will finish it. Sure. I only hope that pigs don't fly first.

What's everyone else doing to celebrate the spring?

Pathetic, but mine own (excuse).

So...I did finish knitting the sweater. It's not finished, however. My excuse? My work room is so messy [read: a pig sty] that I have no where safe to block it. I always block the pieces before I sew seams and pick up neckline stitches.

Is that an excuse? Well, if you had a cat nicknamed Destructo the Wonder Kitty it would be.

I am currently knitting another pair of belated birthday socks for a friend because Than Chai helped himself to #1 as I was finishing sock #2 of the first pair.

Of course the real problem is me...I need to clean out the work room, which is presently "functioning" more as the house dump. Stock for my booth, clothes to be mended, books, gifts, and God-knows-what is covering nearly every square foot. Not to mention the ironing.

With any luck, admitting this online will be embarassing enough that I'll finally clean the place up and keep it that way. For a while, at least...

The Sweater Continues

I recommend knitting lots of socks if you want to make a small gauge sweater. I've become so used to sock gauge that this thing is just flying along. Front & back are done, and bound together by a three needle bind off at the shoulders.

I needed to re-write the sleeves, as the original pattern called for long and I wanted short, but that's just about done. The real question was whether to pick up and knit (using a certain amount of short row shaping) or knit and sew in. It's probably going to be the second. And the knitting will be from the ribbing up, as the alternative includes too much casting on for large increases from the top.

This isn't exactly scintillating copy, is it? But it's interesting to me because it's an examination of a creative process. At the end of it I'll also have not only a new sweater, but a new 1930s sweater.

Not uninteresting after all.

Left Out

New England and New York seem to be left out of the party this week. Not that it's a party everyone wants to attend: snowstorm.

Friends on the rest of the Eastern Seaboard and in the midwest are literally digging out. In Baltimore, for heaven's sake! And my sister in Texas tells me that snow is predicted down there. Again!

At the moment a few lazy flakes are floating down to die a lingering death on the brown grass and pavement. There's a tidy rim of snow around the perimeter of our yard (such as it is, asphalt and all).

In Rhode Island, a storm prediction usually means a run on milk and bread. DH and I both find this rather funny. Unless, of course, you live on milk toast. Then I'd be concerned, too.

However, I admit to making a grocery list a few minutes ago:

baking potatoes
soda water
fruit
salad greens
..and so forth. Ending in bread. I admit it.

More firewood, too. We use our fireplace for coziness and atmosphere, not a great deal for warmth, but I love having it. So do the boys, needless to say. They even "ask" for a fire by plopping down decisively in front of it, bundling front paws under and glancing back and forth from the nearest human to the dark, empty, cold bricks in front of the pathetic little (cold) feline face. Sometimes it works.

So...I'm getting ready for the possiblity of snow. Seems like the city fathers believe it's heading our way this time; there's a parking ban right now.

Which means I'll feel no guilt at hauling out the knitting and curling up with two feline lapwarmers this evening. I like snow.

Random Siamese Cats

Pictures of them, that is. Of my boys. (Yes, I'm one of those; other people are twee if they obsess over their pets, I think it's perfectly fine for me to act this way.)

Getting There

In spite of some difficulty (nothing like having a needle snap, especially when it's vintage and you can't be sure of the gauge of a new one) I'm moving along quite well on the sweater.

The armseye shaping is finished, and soon I'll be shaping the shoulders. Shall I be lazy and bind off (thereby landing myself with some nasty seaming) or do proper short-row shaping so I can use a three needle bind off? Probably I'll do the latter, and then add some ribbon to the inner seam for stability.

I had to buy a new--and I do mean new--needle. None of the straights at the shop were of the correct dimensions (I did have the presence of mind to bring a needle gauge with me), so I ended up buying an Addi circ. It's working very well. I don't like circs for knitting in the round, messing with cable lengths drives me mad, and I don't like interchangeable needles very well.

But...they're great for working back and forth on an item, especially when it gets some weight on it. And it turns out that marked "3" or no, the straights I was using were really 2s. Oho...just thought of something; I'll bet they were needles from New Zealand, and so the size marked was, of course, in mm. Because, yes, the one I bought is 3.0 mm. Mystery solved.

Would you still like some proof?



The young critic in the photo is Than Chai. He insisted on making an inspection.

Why the U.K.?

I'm an Anglophile. It came naturally, via my mother and her Anglophilia.

As kids we watched Dr. Who (Tom Baker), (parts of) Benny Hill, and Monty Python...because Mom did. We saw Masterpiece Theater with Derek Jacobi in I, Claudius, and never made it through Upstairs, Downstairs because, foolish children that we were, it bored us.

Then I married another Anglophile. When I got married again...you guessed it. I've spent a lot of time watching Are You Being Served?, As Time Goes By, Waiting for God, Mulberry, and a slew of other British programs, either on PBS or BBC America or on video, DVD and whatever other media presents itself.

British programming can be just as empty and useless as U.S. shows are at their worst, but the best in the U.K. is very, very good indeed. And it's usually richer, funnier, and much more inclined to require that the viewer possess a few working brain cells.

I'm not sure why that is. Maybe because of the television license? Maybe because America got there first, and the Brits set out to surpass us? I really don't know, but I see the superiority time and again.

There are good U.S. shows. Funny ones, quirky ones, shows that ask the viewer to think...but so many inane things lurk around them that I'm not inclined to try and sift through to find the stuff I like.

It could be, of course, that their better offerings are what we get over here. After all, it's been pre-sifted. There are things, though, that I can't buy in non-PAL format (I'm looking into getting a format free DVD player)...or instance, Blackpool, which I managed to watch on YouTube (not my preferred method of viewing, I promise you).

I'd like to see Tennant's Hamlet NOW, thanks. And the truly uncut versions of Dr. Who. Why in the hell do we get the slashed and burned versions here? Is the Hays office still lurking?

I don't know. But in the meantime, I'll continue to hunt down British comedy, dramas on the Beeb, and wish for complete access to it online. For heaven's sake, we don't even have radio shows any more!

This time I'll finish it!

The sweater I'm working on, I mean. For some reason, I seldom finish a sweater, no matter how small it is, or whatever the gauge. I get bored, probably. Socks are usually quick, and there's no such thing as too many hand knit socks. They wear out so quickly.

This time, though...I found the missing yarn, my "Crayola Tweed". First I thought it would be a 20s sweater (June 1924, from Needlecraft). No, didn't work. No gauge was mentioned in the pattern, but some swatching and math made it plain that it needed a very bulky yarn. Found a nice worsted, but even that didn't do the trick.

So back to the fingering weight and a different pattern, out of a British hardcover, The Compleat Book of Knitting. It's just listed as a jumper, and the pattern is indicated by graph. I'm using US #3 needles to get gauge, which is 6.5 stitches per inch, and 9 rows per inch. The ribbing for the back piece is finished. It took 45 rows and is staying true to gauge. I'll have use for a sweater like this: fine gauge, yarn that will go with half my wardrobe, from jeans to skirts, and real 1930s style.

The question is, will I actually finish it?

Comfort Food and Comfort Knitting

I'm an expert on both.

Therefore I have been knitting socks. Socks for me. Baby socks to stash for gifts. Bed socks...which chose not to felt. (Yes, Bozo the Clown would like them. A lot.) I have a crazy pair on my feet, made from the remains of the multicolored skein I used in the potholders. They're knitted in a wavy lace pattern and the toes are quite pointy. On purpose.

Right now I have a pair of ribbed gray socks on the go. Also for me. Lots of socks for me (who appreciates them more, I ask you?).

In the food department, we have beef stock. Real beef stock. I've been stashing away beef bones as I find them in the market: marrow bones, bits of oxtail, you name it. And I added the usual carrots & onion. And a caramelized onion, and bits of leftover beef bits and pieces also stashed in the freezer. The house smells heavenly. Canned stock works in a pinch, but it doesn't have half the flavor of the real thing, with its darkly caramelized bones and meat and onions.

Tomorrow we'll have chicken, though. I'm planning on stuffed pounded chicken breasts, with a filling made of spinach, cheese and pork sausage, and sides of caramelized red onions and yellow potatoes.

Possibly some of this is in response to the news the NBC won't be airing the pilot of "Rex Is Not Your Lawyer" this spring. (I didn't name it. But it stars David Tennant. So, frankly, I don't care what they call it.) I needed something to compensate, and hand knitted socks and home cooking fit the bill.

Links still not working, so...

...go to Facebook or other sites where you can get safe information on donations from people you know.

Again, try organizations like Red Cross International, Doctors Without Borders (which you can also reach through the Yarn Harlot's website), UNICEF, and so on.

And pray for them and their friends and families. The new year is an important time in Haiti, but this is one lousy beginning.

Haiti

A one-minute earthquake in Haiti has destroyed lives, hopes and even relief agencies. Some news reports called it "The" quake. It's an horrific situation.

It comes home to me a bit more forcefully than it might, as a friend whom I was very close to has family there. None of his immediate family are down there now, but no one has heard a thing from extended family. All communications are down.

There's nothing I can do hands-on, but I'll ask this of anyone who can spare a few dollars: please make a donation. Even $5 or $10 will help.

Unfortunately, times like these bring out the bad as well as the good, so make your donations to well-known relief agencies: the Red Cross, UNICEF, Doctors Without Borders/ Médecins Sans Frontières, and so forth.

I wanted to post links for you, but Blogger is being more useless than is believable; it will not post the links when I insert them.

Please search for the legitamite sites and look for donations specifically geared toward Haiti, or where help is needed most. I will try again to make the links work, perhaps tomorrow.

Dr Who and Shakespeare

(It's not a typo. In British English there's no [.] after the _R_ .)

Anyone? Even here in the States many of us saw the show as kids. Mind, I never thought of it as a kid's show. My mother is the one who wanted to watch it. I suspect she had a crush on Tom Baker. I have to admit, he's got a gorgeous voice. I'd forgotten how good, until the other day, when I watched an old episode.

If she had a crush, she wasn't alone. Now in the 2nd incarnation of the series, and just past the 10th Doctor, I'm with her. But my crush is on David Tennant. It helps that he is a mad Dr Who fan. (In fact, in re-watching Tom Baker I found that consciously or not, Tennant's Doctor has some very similar quirks.) I'm not familiar with the other Doctors, so I can't comment on their ways.

David Tennant is a fine actor in any case. I've been seeking out his other work, and it's impressive. Sometimes he just lets go and is full-out silly, but he can do any kind of character and make him real. My husband compared him to Cary Grant, which made me blink--I don't think of him as sophisticated and smooth. But DH explained that he meant endless charm and a certain clownishness, and David Tennant has that in limitless quantities.

This crush is quite recent, too. I have the cold that won't quit, and when BBC American ran a Dr Who marathon before the second part of the final special this year I settled in and watched for hours. I'd seen bits and pieces of episodes over the past few years, but didn't really bother to sit down and watch the show on a regular basis.

It's rather embarassing to go fan girl on a present day actor, but it's fun. I'm really looking forward to seeing his Hamlet. Especially as Patrick Stewart is in the cast as Claudius; in high school, I saw the videotaped production with Derek Jacobi in the title role, Stewart was Claudius then, too, and that production is what made me realize just how much I love Shakespeare.

Hamlet is supposed to air on PBS in the spring. April, I think. Unfortunately, the DVD is not yet available in US format, and our zone free DVD player isn't terribly dependable. Still, I might break down ahead of time and get it anyway.

Any other retrophiles with embarassing celebrity crushes out there?

2009 Was Not a Good Year

Mind you, there have been worse years. But it was difficult to lose my job. I do office work because I'm good at it, and it pays bills, and it generally brings things like a 401k and health insurance to me as well.

I don't particularly like office work, unless I particularly like the people I work with. I did like those people, from the workers in the factory to the CEO. I didn't fit in (I seldom do, unless I'm in a theatre or at some big Art Deco function) but people usually enjoy having an Office Misfit, if he or she is colorful and gives them something harmless to gossip about.

Still hurts to have lost that job. Granted, nearly no one keeps a job for many years at a time these days, but I still felt I belonged, in some fashion.

My husband and I have been lucky, partly due to the job I had and the perks I got, even more due to his foresight and habit of keeping an eye on the housing market. We still have medical, if not dental, and money in the bank. We're still able to go out (though far less frequently) and we can buy some luxuries.

Our families are still doing pretty well, and most of our friends are hanging in there, too.

It's the worry that gets to me. When you're in your teens and twenties it just doesn't, as a rule, stick in the same way. At forty and beyond, you're tired of starting over (and over) and you hope that some of the things you've done will pay off already and it doesn't quite work that way, if only because in middle age you know what can happen from personal experience.

However, you also know that even when things are difficult you can pick up the pieces; you've done it before. So do it again, already, and stop kvetching.

Time to move on.