Obligatory Post part III

So, here I am again, posting once more without much of an idea as to what I am going to say. I have not been knitting much. I just haven't felt like it. I have been lurking in forums, thinking about crafting, practicing down dogs, and writing as much as my stubborn mind will let me. I feel good about the fact that I'm writing more lately, but I think there should be room for writing and knitting. I have been feeling the urge to knit more and more in the past few days, but I haven't acted on it and I think it is because I always end up in a great deal of pain afterwards. I am not very diligent about sitting up straight as I knit which is a recipe for disaster!

Anyone have any neck pain/posture tips/exercises? I've been doing what I can in terms of exercise, but any advice would really be helpful. :)

I have done a little bit of spinning, but not in the past week or so. I've started spinning up a nice turquoisey blue merino and tencel blend. Right now, as a singles, i think it is at laceweight...which is sort of a bummer because I wanted to ply it INTO a laceweight. I may or may not decide to use it as a singles (I'm afraid of it biasing and I tend to prefer stockinette lace over garter lace, which would help balance out the slanting effect of the singles).



It's really soft and silky. Yay!

I made asparagus and shallots to go with some lentil shmush for dinner tonight:



The lentils don't look appetizing, but really they were delish!

Another note: I am feeling a little less cranky, but I'm not completely over it yet. I've been trying to focus on good things and slowing down.

A couple of things...

...Monday was St. Distaff's Day and I spent a large chunk of my time spinning up some merino in "celebration." I have finished the singles, which I allowed to rest a bit on the niddy noddy and I have begun plying them. It is slow going and I don't have any pictures for you yet, but I can show you a picture of my first mistake:


I don't know why I decided I should take it all off the niddy noddy before winding into a ball...stupid me. ((oh, and I know plying such fine singles from one center pull ball is not a good idea, but it's the only way I know how to do it at this point and I have my techniques to keep it all from tangling too much...))

I have not been knitting much, mainly spinning. I'm loving this spinning business lately...and I've been toying with a few other hobbies too...which are related to my love of books, writing, and list making.

I can't wait to ply all these singles and move on to spinning up my Cormo roving!! It's so soft and smells so very sheepy. It even still has little bits of vegetable matter in it...and you know what?...I'm not removing it. It stays. In all its sheepy wonder. Can you tell I'm stoked? lol I will be spinning a bulkier yarn with it because my spindle is just too heavy for the the finer yarns (as I learned with my spinning WIP). Besides, the Cormo is so soft that I am sort of getting gah-gah over the idea of making something really squishy out of it. I want to eventually spin up enough for a sweater, but I will need to make a few trips to the fiber place to get more. It's undyed, so no problem with that dye-lot nonsense. I may decide to dye it myself after it's all spun up, but possibly not.

All this fiber talk leads me to spindle dreaming...and, brace yourself, wheel dreaming too. I want some of these, and one of these, and this one too. And someday, I really really want to get this little eye-sore.

My Butterfly Mobius looks like this:


My Purple Lace Blouse looks like it did last time I showed it to you. lol

Ok, enough. You're all bored. I made Onigiri:


I'm so in love with them...tasty tasty...

To live on bread alone

Today began with a plan...a really cool plan...a really cool plan that cost me EVERY bit of my tip money this week for supplies.

It involved a thermometer, a huge glass bowl, a cookie sheet, and a rolling pin.

It was bread.

I found a super simple recipe for a loaf of French bread...and went to town.

Lots of kneading:


Lots of rising:


A little bit of knitting:


Lots of shaping:



Lots of baking:


Lots of cooling on wire racks:


Lots of happy!:


Mmmm, I'm really looking forward to the gluttony that will be this evening. I'm making a pasta dish out of real simple magazine tonight as well. It's going to be fabulous with freshly baked bread.

Oh, we will be giving one loaf to Max's parents. Russians like their bread, you know.

And these fat asses...


...won't be getting ANY! Hedonists!