My birthday...in history

What happened on February 27th in history?

Events
1560 - The Treaty of Berwick, which would expel the French from Scotland, is signed by England and the Congregation of Scotland.
1594 - Henry IV is crowned King of France.
1617 - Sweden and Russia sign the Treaty of Stolbovo, ending the Ingrian War and shutting Russia out of the Baltic Sea.
1626 - Yuan Chonghuan is appointed Governor of Liaodong, after he led the Chinese into a great victory against the Manchurians under Nurhaci.
1700 - The island of New Britain is discovered.
1703 - The first Mardi Gras is celebrated in Mobile, Alabama.
1793 - The Giles resolutions are introduced to the United States House of Representatives asking the House to condemn Alexander Hamilton's handling of loans.
1801 - Washington, DC is placed under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Congress.
1812 - Poet Lord Byron gives his first address as a member of the House of Lords, in defense of Luddite violence against Industrialism in his home county of Nottinghamshire.
1827 - The first Mardi Gras is celebrated in New Orleans, Louisiana.
1844 - The Dominican Republic gains independence from Haiti.
1860 - Abraham Lincoln makes a speech at Cooper Union in the city of New York that was largely responsible for his election to the Presidency.
1861 - A crowd in Warsaw protesting Russian rule over Poland is fired upon by Russian troops, killing five protesters.
1864 - American Civil War: The first Northern prisoners arrive at the Confederate prison at Andersonville, Georgia.
1879 - Announcement of the discovery of artificial sweetener saccharin.
1900 - Second Boer War: In South Africa, British military leaders receive an unconditional notice of surrender from Boer General Piet Cronje at the Battle of Paardeberg.
1900 - The British Labour Party is founded.
1900 - The FC Bayern München (Munich) is founded.
1921 - The International Working Union of Socialist Parties is founded in Vienna.
1922 - A challenge to the Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, allowing women the right to vote, is rebuffed by the Supreme Court of the United States in Leser v. Garnett.
1933 - Reichstag fire: Germany's parliament building in Berlin, the Reichstag, is set on fire.
1939 - American Civil Rights Movement: Sit-down strikes are outlawed by the Supreme Court of the United States.
1940 - Martin Kamen and Sam Ruben discovered carbon-14
1942 - World War II: the USS Langley, the first United States aircraft carrier, is sunk by Japanese warplanes.
1943 - The Smith Mine #3 in Bearcreek, Montana, explodes, killing 74 men.
1943 - The Rosenstrasse protest starts in Berlin
1951 - The Twenty-second Amendment to the United States Constitution, limiting Presidents to two terms, is ratified.
1961 - The first congress of the Spanish Trade Union Organisation is inaugurated.
1963 - The Dominican Republic receives its first democratically elected president, Juan Bosch, since the end of the dictatorship led by Rafael Trujillo.
1964 - The government of Italy asks for help to keep the Leaning Tower of Pisa from toppling over.
1967 - Dominica gains independence from the United Kingdom.
1971 - Doctors in the first Dutch abortion clinic (the Mildredhuis in Arnhem) start to perform abortus provocatus .
1973 - The American Indian Movement occupies Wounded Knee, South Dakota.
1974 - People magazine is published for the first time.
1976 - The formerly Spanish territory of Western Sahara, under the auspices of the Polisario Front declares independence as the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic.
1986 - The United States Senate allows its debates to be televised on a trial basis.
1989 - Venezuela is rocked by the Caracazo.
1990 - Exxon Valdez oil spill: Exxon and its shipping company are indicted on five criminal counts.
1991 - Gulf War: U.S. President George H. W. Bush announces that "Kuwait is liberated."
1996 - Satoshi Tajiri creates the hit media franchise Pokémon.
1999 - While trying to circumnavigate the world in a hot air balloon, Colin Prescot and Andy Elson set a new endurance record after being in a hot air balloon for 233 hours and 55 minutes.
1999 - Olusegun Obasanjo becomes Nigeria's first elected president since mid-1983.
2002 - Ryanair Flight 296 catches fire in London Stansted Airport. Subsequent investigations criticize Ryanair's handling of the evacuation.
2002 - A Muslim mob attacks a train a few minutes after it leaves the Godhra railway station, killing 59 Hindu pilgrims returning from Ayodhya; retaliatory riots lead to the death of at least 1000 people, mostly Muslims.
2003 - Rowan Williams is enthroned as the 104th Archbishop of Canterbury in the Anglican church.
2004 - A bombing of a Superferry by Abu Sayyaf in the Philippines kills 116, its worst terrorist attack.
2004 - Former BPMC general secretary Ordrick Samuel launches a new party in Barbuda, Barbudans for a Better Barbuda.
2005 - Pre-pay price capping on the Transport for London Oyster card is introduced.
2006 - The Harlem Globetrotters extended their overall record to 22,000 wins.

Births
272 - Constantine I, Roman emperor (d. 337)
1691 - Edward Cave, English editor and publisher (d. 1754)
1711 - Constantine Mavrocordatos, Prince of Wallachia and Prince of Moldavia (d. 1769)
1779 - Thomas Hazlehurst, English soap and alkali manufacturer (d. 1842)
1807 - Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, American poet (d. 1882)
1861 - Rudolf Steiner, Austrian philosopher (d. 1925)
1862 - Anastasios Metaxas, Greek architect and shooter (d. 1937)
1886 - Hugo Black, U.S. Supreme Court Justice (d. 1971)
1888 - Roberto Assagioli, Italian psychiatrist (d. 1974)
1888 - Earl Caddock, American professional wrestler (d. 1950)
1888 - Lotte Lehmann, German singer (d. 1976)
1890 - Freddie Keppard, American jazz musician (d. 1933)
1891 - David Sarnoff, Russian-born broadcast pioneer (d. 1971)
1891 - Anne Samson, oldest-ever nun documented (d. 2004)
1892 - William Demarest, American actor (d. 1983)
1897 - Marian Anderson, American contralto (d. 1993)
1899 - Charles Best, American medical scientist (d. 1978)
1902 - Gene Sarazen, American golfer (d. 1999)
1902 - John Steinbeck, American writer, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1968)
1903 - Grethe Weiser, German actress (d. 1970)
1904 - James T. Farrell, American writer (d. 1979)
1904 - Yulii Borisovich Khariton, Russian physicist (d. 1996)
1904 - André Leducq, French cyclist (d. 1980)
1904 - Chick Fullis, American baseball player (d. 1946)
1905 - Franchot Tone, American actor (d. 1968)
1907 - Mildred Bailey, American singer (d. 1951)
1910 - Joan Bennett, American actress (d. 1990)
1910 - Peter De Vries, American writer (d. 1993)
1910 - Kelly Johnson, American aircraft engineer (d. 1990)
1912 - Lawrence Durrell, British writer (d. 1990)
1913 - Irwin Shaw, American writer (d. 1984)
1917 - John Connally, Governor of Texas (d. 1993)
1922 - Hans Rookmaaker, Dutch professor and art historian (d. 1977)
1923 - Dexter Gordon, American jazz saxophonist (d. 1990)
1925 - Samuel Dash, American Congressional counsel (d. 2004)
1926 - David H. Hubel, Canadian neuroscientist, Nobel Prize laureate
1927 - Lynn Cartwright, American actress (d. 2004)
1927 - Guy Mitchell, American singer (d. 1999)
1928 - Ariel Sharon, former Prime Minister of Israel
1929 - Djalma Santos, Brazilian footballer
1930 - Paul von Ragué Schleyer, American chemist
1930 - Peter Stone, American writer (d. 2003)
1930 - Joanne Woodward, American actress
1932 - Elizabeth Taylor, British-American actress
1933 - Raymond Berry, American football player
1934 - Vincent Fourcade, French interior designer (d. 1992)
1934 - N. Scott Momaday, American writer
1934 - Ralph Nader, American consumer activist
1934 - Van Williams, American actor
1935 - Mirella Freni, Italian soprano
1936 - Ron Barassi, Australian rules footballer
1937 - Barbara Babcock, American actress
1939 - Peter Revson, American racecar driver (d. 1974)
1940 - Howard Hesseman, American actor
1941 - Paddy Ashdown, British politician
1942 - Robert H. Grubbs, American chemist, Nobel Prize laureate
1942 - Charlayne Hunter-Gault, American journalist
1942 - Michel Forget, French Canadian actor
1943 - Mary Frann, American actress (d. 1998)
1943 - Morten Lauridsen, American composer
1944 - Ken Grimwood, American writer (d. 2003)
1945 - Carl Anderson, American singer and actor (d. 2004)
1947 - Gidon Kremer, Latvian violinist
1951 - Steve Harley, British rock musician (Steve Harley and Cockney Rebel)
1954 - Neal Schon, American musician (Journey)
1957 - Viktor Markin, Russian athlete
1957 - Timothy Spall, English actor
1957 - Danny Antonucci, Canadian animator
1957 - Adrian Smith, English musician (Iron Maiden)
1958 - Nancy Spungen, girlfriend of Sid Vicious (d. 1978)
1960 - Andres Gomez, Ecuadorian tennis player
1962 - Adam Baldwin, American actor
1962 - Grant Show, American actor
1965 - Noah Emmerich, American actor
1965 - Frank Peter Zimmermann, German violinist
1965 - Joakim Sundström, Swedish sound editor, sound designer and musician
1966 - Donal Logue, Canadian actor
1969 - Brad Vander Ark, American musician
1970 - Michael A. Burstein, American writer
1970 - Patricia Petibon, French opera singer
1971 - Derren Brown, British psychological illusionist
1971 - Rozonda "Chilli" Thomas, American singer (TLC)
1973 - Ali Tabatabaee, American Iranian rapper (Zebrahead)
1975 - Shelby Walker, American mixed martial artist (d. 2006)
1975 - Prodromos Korkizoglou, Greek decathlete
1977 - Lance Hoyt, American professional wrestler
1977 - Ji Sung, South Korean actor
1978 - James Beattie, English footballer
1980 - Bobby Valentino, American singer
1980 - Chelsea Clinton, daughter of Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton
1981 - Josh Groban, American singer
1984 - Juliana Imai, Brazilian model
1984 - Antti Tuisku, Finnish singer
1985 - Fefe Dobson, Canadian singer
1985 - Abe Asami, Japanese singer and actress
1988 - JD Natasha, American musician

Chris dancing video

Happy Valentines Day!

Okay, I'm late by a day. I was too lazy to post yesterday. After I dropped the eldest son off at school I remembered that I saw the pattern for this crocheted heart in the latest edition of Crochet Today! and also remembered that I had some red #3 crochet cotton in my stash so I went about making one for my Valentine. He had to work yesterday but I didn't want him to think I had forgotten so I made him a card with a poem inside, bought him some balloons and chocolate and went to the fire station he was assigned for the day. It was my luck that he wasn't there when I arrived because I took the goodies into his room and left them on his bed. I got a call from him shortly after arriving home asking if I thought I was sneaky. Yep! I was sneaky as hell.

I also got some more done on these socks. I turned the heels before bed and worked on them a bit today. I really want to finish them tomorrow but I don't know if I'll get a chance to do that.



You see, whenever my Mom makes plans to come for a visit, like she is on Tuesday, I freak out. My Mom is hypercritical about my housekeeping. My house is definitely not a pig sty but we do "live" here and I tend to have a bit of clutter going on at all times. My worst offender is my pool table upstairs. It is the perfect spot to fold clothes and I have it divided into four sections, one for each of us, on which I will stack everyone's folded clothes. The problem is that I don't put them away once folded, for quite awhile. My husband's clothes get put away more than anyone elses because he likes to roll out of bed and have his clothes within reach. The boys know the drill and automatically go to the pool table when they're ready to get dressed for the day. Sad, I know, but much better than living out of a laundry basket, wouldn't you say? At least I don't have clothes piled up waiting to be washed.

Another hot spot is the kitchen island. This is the spot where my husband and I seem to deposit mail, keys, cups, plates, crumbs, etc. whenever we walk into the house from the garage. It is only totally cleared off when company comes over.

I've got my work cut out for me tomorrow. Vacuuming, dusting, laundry, decluttering, general tidying up. I probably won't shampoo the carpets until Monday. I need to get my act together and stick to the Fly Lady principles. I have two of her books but haven't had the opportunity to read them yet.

Got to get some sleep.

Presidential Candidate with ties to Hawaii

Barry Obama from Punahou?

Koigu socks are finally done!

It took me 12 days but they're done. I finished them for the Sock a Month Knitalong3 group.

I immediately started on this new pair at the same time on Magic Loop using the Turkish Cast On
for which I would like to thank Misocrafty for posting this tutorial. Very easy toe up method. You just have to do it, not think about it. I didn't think it would work when I was reading it, but I figured "what the heck, I can always rip it out if it doesn't work" but it did. I hope they're done by next Monday's knit nite so I can show them to the group. In fact, I'm hoping to turn the heels on them tomorrow and it's gravy from there.

2006 Schedule

2006 Schedule

I don't remember if I blogged about this earlier or not. My son's football team won the 2006 state championships and as part of that, they posed for a championship picture. Nothing new about that, right? This photography company is located in Reno, Nevada and we are in Las Vegas. Quite a distance away, but they sent both their Las Vegas and Reno photographers since the team we played against was from up north in Galena, near Reno. Can you believe they lost the film? We had no idea until we got our check back in the mail about a month later. What I can't believe is that both crews took pictures and both of their photos were lost. Since my son is a freshman, and I hope that they win until he graduates, I am not as heartbroken as parents of seniors are, I'm sure. I called the company and asked if they plan to come back to retake the pictures. The representative I spoke to said that it is an option but she doesn't know what they plan to do at this time. Argh! Anyway, while cruising on my husband's computer this afternoon, I saw that he had the high school website in his favorites list so I clicked on it. I found a copy of the championship picture on the website! I couldn't believe it. It's possibly one of the only copies available! Of course, I printed it out for my son to hang on his wall. I sent the link to a friend, who is the mom of one of his teammates. What luck! You can rest assured that I will bring my camera to every game next season. I'm kicking myself for not doing it more this year.

Jake playing Ukulele on Yahoo video. Awesome!

This guy is off da hook with his ukulele playing! Right on braddah!

Stash busting saga continues

I have recently joined Socktopia and Sock A Month 3 (SAM3) to help in my stash busting endeavors. I had frogged my Koigu sock twice already and waited until yesterday to cast on with more stitches. I had originally started with 48 then 52, and now 60 on size 2 needles. They're a bit loose but should be all right. I worked on it a bit at knit nite last night. I am now working the short row heel while watching last week's Grey's Anatomy on ABC.com. I recorded last night's on the DVR but I ran out of space on the hard drive and only recorded 16 minutes of it. That episode will be watched next.



I also brought this scarf along last night but couldn't concentrate on the lace chart to save my
life because I was catching up with the girls.



And I have been baking bread. For those of you who don't have a bread machine, do not assume that just because you have this thing, that you can automatically make good bread. I have made my share of crap but today...I made this awesome loaf of breadiliciousness.



Other than being able to eat piping hot bread, I think bread machines should be marketed just like those scented oil plug in things. The house smells so wonderful. I tweaked my original recipe just a tad and here it is:

Honey Wheat Bread for the bread machine

1 c. water, lukewarm
2 Tbsp. butter
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 c. King Arthur Whole Wheat Flour
2 c. bread flour
2 Tbsp. dry milk powder
2 Tbsp. honey
4 tsp. Vital Wheat Gluten
1/4 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. yeast

Add ingredients in the order suggested by the bread machine manufacturer. I don't know if this makes any difference or not but I store my flour, yeast and gluten in the freezer and I add them in cold, not room temperature. I bake on the standard setting with a light crust. I hope if you try this recipe, you get great results, too.

What I'm working on today

I'm trying very hard to turn UFOs into FOs. I have turned the heel on one of the Koigu toe up short row heel socks and hope to have that one done before knit nite with the gang on Thursday. I really want to start this beautiful scarf, Brooke's Column of Leaves Scarf, but I can't decide which yarn in my stash to use. I have some red yarn that I can use to make this into my Valentine's Day scarf. I wanted to make this scarf but that would mean buying yarn and that is not on my diet right now. I also have some pea green yarn that would be appropriate as this is a column of "leaves" scarf. Might I mention that I don't look particularly good in pea green? I just love looking at that color. Gee, thanks Sidra! Sidra is a friend of mine who absolutely loves this shade of green and looks good in it. She calls it "Sidra Green". Now I really like it too.

I also finished a washcloth that I found in one of my many knitting bags. I just wanted some quick mindless knitting while watching TV. I was actually too lazy to get up and go to my purse where I keep the Koigu sock as my car/waiting on kids knitting. I'd better remember to put it in there since we have a doctor appointment tomorrow morning and I really hate to be without something to knit.

Sorry that I don't have any pictures to post. Bernie needed the batteries I use for my camera for the remote control for the Wii! He was in the midst of Zelda and couldn't stop. Sheesh! I will get them back!

Bread pudding recipes

I am working from memory here. I hope I didn't forget anything. I tried to do this last night while my brain was still halfway functioning but I couldn't stay awake. BTW, this stuff was great this morning for breakfast, except I left out the Jack.

Pina Colada Macadamia Nut Bread Pudding

1 package hamburger buns (8 to a package), torn into bite sized pieces
3 eggs
1 can coconut milk (not coconut juice or coconut water)
Milk to equal 3 cups when added to the coconut milk
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1 large can crushed pineapple, drained
¼ cup chopped unsalted macadamia nuts
1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Butter a 9 x 13 inch baking dish. Tear hamburger buns into the baking dish. Spread drained pineapple evenly over the bread. In a separate bowl, beat the eggs then add milk, coconut milk, sugar, and vanilla. Pour evenly over the bread and pineapple. Press down with a spatula to make sure all of the bread pieces are soaked thoroughly. Sprinkle macadamia nuts over all. Bake for 45-50 minutes or until golden brown and knife inserted near the center comes out clean. It will get denser as it cools.

Apple-Raisin Bread Pudding

1 pkg hamburger buns (8 to a package), torn into bite sized pieces
3 eggs
3 cups milk
¼ tsp cinnamon
¾ cup brown sugar, packed
1 tsp vanilla extract
½ cup raisins
1 peeled and chopped apple

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Butter a 9 x 13 inch baking dish. Tear hamburger buns into the baking dish. Sprinkle raisins and apple evenly over bread. In a separate bowl, beat the eggs then add milk, sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla. Pour evenly over the bread and fruit. Press down with a spatula to make sure all of the bread pieces are soaked thoroughly. Bake for 45-50 minutes or until golden brown and knife inserted near the center comes out clean. It will get denser as it cools.

Jack Daniel’s Sauce

1 can sweetened condensed milk
½ stick butter
¼ cup Jack Daniel’s whiskey
1 tsp vanilla extract

In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. Add condensed milk and whisk until thoroughly blended and smooth. Remove from heat to avoid flames, pour in Jack Daniel’s and vanilla. Keep whisking until incorporated. Serve warm over bread pudding. It can be warmed in the microwave for 30 seconds at a time before serving.

Cabbage Rolls

1 head green cabbage

Filling:
1 lb ground pork
1 lb ground beef
1 cup cooked rice
1 egg
splash of 1/2 & 1/2 or milk
large splash of soy sauce
1 tsp Worchestershire sauce
1/2 large onion, diced
garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste
1 tblsp parsley flakes

Sauce:
2 small cans tomato sauce, divided
1/3 of a 28 ounce jar spaghetti sauce

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Spread 1 small can tomato sauce with 1/4 cup water in the bottom of a baking pan 13 x 9 or slightly larger. Salt and pepper to taste. Set aside. Fill a large stockpot with water to about 3 inches from rim. Salt the water and bring to a boil. Cut out the core of the cabbage and submerge in boiling water for one minute. Peel leaves off cabbage while boiling, be careful! Put leaves in a large bowl of iced water to stop the cooking process. Continue until all large and medium sized leaves have been peeled off. In another bowl, mix all filling ingredients together. If you want to check the seasoning of your filling, heat a pan and make a small patty of your filling and cook until brown on both sides. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.

Cut a "V" in the bottom of the cabbage leaves to remove the spine. Remove as little as necessary. Place about 1/4 cup of filling at the top of the leaf (more or less depending on size of leaf) and roll top then sides of leaf to cover filling. Place roll, seam side down on top of tomato sauce in the baking pan. Continue until pan is full or you've run out of leaves or filling. Mix remaining can of tomato sauce and spaghetti sauce and pour evenly over top of cabbage rolls. Cover with foil and bake for 1 hour 15 minutes.

Dinner with good friends

Tonight we had our friends, Pat & Jim over for dinner. Now, I know this menu sounds eclectic but it really worked well together. We tend to draw the meal out so we usually have a few minutes between courses, then it's coffee and Scrabble for a couple of hours. Here's what we had:
Tossed green salad & pasta e fagiole (recipe to follow)
Cabbage rolls in tomato sauce (recipe to follow) and rice
Apple raisin bread pudding with Jack Daniel's sauce (recipe to follow)
Pineapple, coconut & macadamia nut bread pudding (recipe to follow)

I want to post these recipes because I can never make the same recipe twice. I look at a written recipe as a suggestion and just make things up as I go. The exception is when I bake, because baking is about formulas, not recipes.

Pasta e Fagiole

1 lb hamburger
1/2 large onion
3 garlic cloves, minced

Brown hamburger, add onion and saute until translucent then add garlic. Add the rest of the ingredients:

1 c. shredded carrot
2 stalks celery, diced
2 cans beef broth
1 can diced tomatoes
1 jar onion & garlic spaghetti sauce (28 ounces)
1 can white beans or kidney beans

Simmer on low until 1/2 hour before serving then add 1 c. ditalini pasta or small shell pasta. Or cook pasta separately and add to soup before serving. If soup thickens too much after adding pasta, add more water or broth until it's the consistency you like.

Too tired right now. Got to get to bed. Will post other recipes tomorrow.

Michelle

Doing a little stash busting

I'm really making an effort to reduce the size of my stash by getting a few dishcloths made. I even cast on for a clever little dishcloth that I found here. Well, it's still stash reduction, right?



I've started Cozy and am using some #3 mercerized cotton that I originally bought to make facecloths. I wanted something lightweight and lacy. This is probably going to be my first exception to the stashbusting plan, however. I only had 1+ balls of this yarn and plan on using at least 8 balls, but at under $3.00/ea this won't be a budget buster. I've found, as with other lace projects I've tried, that it helps to have a chart to work from. This particular pattern didn't have a chart so I fudged one. I have a knitting symbols font but it was just easier at the time to do it like this since I was working on my husband's computer. It is a very easy knit but I can only memorize one line at a time (while I'm doing it). I cast on 109 sts, which is more than the 85 called for in the pattern. I'm using US size 8 needles and have borrowed the paper towel holder from the bathroom to hold my yarn steady. I beaded this little row counter to help me keep track of where I am in the pattern.



I have since finished the pair of these fingerless mittens. They were made of Lamb's Pride worsted weight wool in the Fuschia color on size 4 needles. I cast on 40 sts and worked the thumb on 16 sts.



I started a pair of toe up socks last Saturday when Sidra came over to knit with me. I originally cast on 48 sts on size 2 needles but after trying them on again right before I was ready to turn the heel, I faced the fact that they were a bit small and ripped back to the toe and increased to 52 sts. I think I'll be happier now. This is all I have accomplished thus far. I last worked on them at knit nite on Thursday with members of my knitting group, Las Vegas Knitters.



It's really windy outside but you'd never know it by looking at my furry kids. I'm keeping warm from the inside out by enjoying a hot cafe mocha and listening to streaming Hawaiian music from HawaiianRainbow.com on my iTunes.



So, even though I haven't been active on my blog, it doesn't mean I haven't been busy knitting.

Aloha!

Tea, bread and knitting

This morning I caught up on some episodes of The Knitting Cook podcast. In episode 3, Faith shared her mother's honey wheat bread. I wanted that bread so badly but didn't have the Vital Wheat Gluten that her recipe called for. Instead, I grabbed the bread machine out of the pantry and found a box of low carb wheat bread and started a loaf. The house smelled wonderful and I couldn't wait for it to be done. I cooled it, sliced it, popped a piece into my mouth, and then spit it out! It tasted like cardboard! Nasty! Into the trash it went. I waited 3 hours for this bread and I wasn't going to be denied. I relied on an old standby recipe and tried again.

Wheat Bread - 1 1/2 lb loaf

Add ingredients to your bread machine in the following order:

1 c. warm water

2 T butter

1 1/2 tsp salt

1 c King Arthur whole wheat flour

2 c white flour

2 T dry milk

1 T sugar

2 tsp active dry yeast

I set my machine on the standard setting since this isn't 100% whole wheat bread and I prefer the light crust setting.

While I was waiting for my bread, I finished my Noro cap, wove the ends in and soaked it in conditioner. It's now drying and waiting for me to wear it.

I've started another stethoscope cover for my sister and have a mesh crochet shrug almost done and waiting in the wings. Funny, but while I'm watching Knitty Gritty, I feel weird if I'm crocheting and while I'm watching Uncommon Threads and they have a crochet episode, I have to crochet.

Update on felted soap sack

Remember I crocheted a sack for a bar of soap out of Paton's Soy Wool? No? It was a couple of posts ago, here. Anyway, it worked! The sack is now felted around the soap and is shrinking every time I use it. I'd rather not post a picture because to me, that would be a little gross. Trust me, it is felted. It actually feels good. I can feel it exfoliating but it isn't rough like a loofa. I especially like it on my feet, although I could use a pedicure because they're so rough that they're snagging the wool. Was that TMI? Anyway, I think that these would be cool gifts and would really work well on rectangular bars of soap because you could just make a tube and close it at the end instead of having to work increases and decreases to fit an oval bar. However, as my current sack is being used, it's shape is conforming to the shape of the soap. I was just thinking of the initial presentation and how it would look better if it fit snugly to begin with.

I know, I ramble.

My first Koigu!

This is my first purchase of both Koigu KPPM and Malabrigo. I can't wait to try them both. I'm pretty sure the Koigu will become a pair of socks and the Malabrigo will be a beanie type hat. The Malabrigo is so soft to touch in the hank. I can just imagine how it will feel to knit with it.

Here is the beanie to match the fingerless mitts I just made last week. It is Noro Kureyon #188.


These fingerless mitts are much better than the Noro ones I made. They are just a Navy wool blend made on size 4 needles. The hat is made on size 8 needles although I think I should have stuck with the 4s.

Very tired. Got to get some sleep.

Merry Christmas!

Mele Kalikimaka!

I hope everyone's Christmas or other winter holiday was all that they wished for. We're still celebrating although Bernie is at work today. The kids and their friends are in the next room enjoying the Wii. I think they're playing baseball.

We enjoyed dinner at the fire station on Christmas Eve. They guys cooked a fabulous meal with deep fried turkeys and some ham with all the side dishes we all love. They had a whole table devoted to desserts of all kinds. The best part? They cleaned up after the whole thing!

Santa brought me the umbrella swift that I asked for. I have a ball winder already. I also got a craft store gift card that will be put to good purpose. The evening was spent in the hot tub being serenaded by Il Divo. They weren't really there, but it sure sounded like they were!

I have been busy knitting also. On Saturday, I knit a cap from a ball of Noro Kureyon that I forgot I had. Then yesterday, I made a pair of fingerless mittens, also out of one ball of Kureyon. I wanted to see if I could make the pair with one ball so they're not as long as I would have liked but will still fit nicely under a coat or jacket. Unfortunately, the cap and mitts are not from the same colorway so I'll have to make another cap in the same colorway as the mitts. Awwww shucks!



I have lunch to cook so I'd better log off.
Aloha!

Felted soap part deux

Steph, Sidra and I had a very impromptu get together today at Nancy's Quilt Shop. Barb was teaching a class on knitting washcloths and soap sacks as well as the making of felted soaps. We were too late for the class but stayed and knitted with some of the "regulars" for awhile. Instructions from HGTV on soap felting here.

I had already tried my hand at felted soap last night with some roving I already had but had to pick up more at Nancy's because she had some awesome colors. I came home and immediately felted another 7 bars of soap. Bernie was ticked because he thought I felted every bar of soap in the house and has no desire to use my felted soap. I did manage to leave a few bars unfelted, honest! My favorites to felt are the Dove bars and a soy soap I had because they are both rounded. I did felt a rectangular shaped bar but the corners weren't fun to deal with. The roving was under $12 for an 8 ounce bag and it looks like I haven't made a dent in the amount after felting 7 bars. Now I want to pick up more colors but will probably go to Wooly Wonders because it's closer to my house than Nancy's is. I'm sure there will be many more bars of felted soap in my future. Hmmm...I'm already thinking that these will make great Christmas gifts tied with raffia bows and little tags explaining their purpose and care instructions.

Felted soaps

Barb Tolleson, who is a member of our group, Las Vegas Knitters, will be holding a free demonstration of the felted soaps tomorrow (er, um, later this morning) at Nancy's Quilt Shop. They had several bags of wonderfully colored roving the other night when we went to knit with the regular ladies. I coveted but could not fondle as they were bagged. I also set aside a few skeins of Noro Kureyon that I have absolutely no clue what they will become. I'm considering putting them back on the shelf and just grabbing a bag of roving. Here is a picture of my felted soap. Okay, you should know that I am never one to leave an idea alone. While I was scrubbing away half the bar just to get the roving felted onto the bar of soap, I thought that it was such a waste of soap. I used an inexpensive bar of Dove soap this time, but what if I used a hand made soap? I thought that I could just knit or crochet a small bag in feltable wool that over time with use will felt down just like the roving, in theory anyway.This one is made with Paton's Soy Wool and used a very small amount of yarn so that if it works, I could get several felted soaps from one skein. I'll post after I've given it a go in the shower. Aloha!

Christmas is just a little early

Bernie and I ordered our Christmas gift today. We're so excited! We should have it in a couple of weeks. Here is a little sneak peek. Our only problem right now is figuring out how to get the dang thing into our back yard, which is almost all pool. We will probably have to hire a crane. We do feel very comfortable with the electrician, who just happened to walk into the showroom as we were talking to the owner of the store. He said that he is also a satisfied customer of the store. Cool! Overall, so far, we feel very good about the purchase. Cross your fingers, okay? It's not over yet.

I guess this means I won't be needing Homedics Shiatsu massage cushion that was on my list. I just really wanted that wooden swift, though. That's okay. Our anniversary and my birthday are coming up soon. Woohoo!

Belated Congratulations!

Following article as it appeared in the Las Vegas Review Journal:

A smiling Chris Faircloth summed up the feeling as his Las Vegas High football team celebrated on Saturday.
"It's great to be a Wildcat, at least it is today," Faircloth said.
It's been awfully good to be a Wildcat for the last six seasons. Las Vegas turned in a dominant second-half performance on the way to a 33-6 victory over Galena for the Class 4A state title at Sam Boyd Stadium.
It was Las Vegas' second consecutive title, and its third in six years. The Wildcats have played in four consecutive finals and five in six seasons.
"Last year felt great, but this year -- winning back-to-back -- feels even better," senior quarterback O'Ryan Bradley said.
Galena outgained Las Vegas 104-92 in the first half and the Grizzlies trailed only 7-6 at the break. Faircloth said the coaches challenged the team at halftime.
"We went in there and said, basically the team with the most heart is going to win this one, that's what it comes down to," Faircloth said. "We work all year for this opportunity, and if we let it go, it's because they deserve it. And if we win it, it's because we deserve it. And the kids responded and did a phenomenal job."
Las Vegas wasted no time taking control in the second half. On the second play, Bradley hit Daniel Durnian with an 86-yard touchdown pass that put the Wildcats up 13-6.
Durnian caught the ball near midfield, cut to his right and sped toward the end zone, diving over the goal line for the score.
"That's what won the game for us," Bradley said. "If we didn't do that, I don't think we would have won the game."
The Wildcats added another score while the wind was still at their backs when Robert Hackett scored on a 2-yard run with 3:03 to go in the third.
"The momentum turned completely and we took them completely out of the game," Faircloth said.
Bradley added a 16-yard touchdown pass to Chris Kelly on the second play of the fourth quarter to make it 26-6, and Jovan Massey returned an interception 12 yards for a score with 3:06 to play to cap the scoring.
It was Massey's second interception of the game. Las Vegas forced five turnovers.
"The defense, those kids love to play football," Faircloth said. "That's probably the biggest reason they're as good as they are. They like to run, they like to hit. You don't have to beg any of them to work hard, because they all work hard."
Las Vegas allowed only 47 yards of offense after halftime.
"Our 'D' just played phenomenal like they always do and got us the win," Bradley said.
Galena running back Jimmy Sargent rushed for 62 yards in the first half, but the Wildcats shut him down in the second half. Sargent finished with 68 yards on 27 carries.
"We had to stop the run," Faircloth said. "They were getting after us a little bit in the first half and getting some plays out. We knew if we didn't get that stopped, it was going to be a long second half."
Instead, it turned out to be a long half for Galena. Bradley was just 6-for-15 for 61 yards and one interception in the first half. But he was 8-for-11 for 169 yards in the second half to help the team march down the field.
"We had to get on him a little bit there," Faircloth said. "The kid always steps up to a challenge. He knew where to throw the ball, and made some great placements as to where to throw it.
"He really has control of this offense. If you don't have a quarterback to throw it where it needs to be, it's not going to happen."
Bradley completed passes to five receivers. Kelly led the way with six catches for 71 yards, and Durnian had four grabs for 137 yards.
"They showed us they could stop the run, and coach said, 'Let's go to the air,' " Kelly said. "That's what O'Ryan did. He spread the ball out. He's a hell of a quarterback."