Of Beans and Yarn

A little snow fell Friday but melted over the weekend. Early this week, we walked in the sunshine but frigid weather has returned. Gray skies, low temperatures and wind make this an inside day. Today I link with Kat and the Unravelers to write about making and reading. I am making slow progress on the cardigan but yet another photo of a sweater yoke in progress isn't very interesting.  I'll write another story about beans and yarn.  

Monday I plied this Polworth yarn. Since I wanted to spend most of the afternoon spinning, I decided to try a new crockpot recipe for a white bean soup.  I usually use canned beans but decided to follow the recipe and use dried. This recipe called for cannellini beans. I couldn't find them. Google suggested great northern beans as an acceptable substitute. That was my first mistake. Usually I look at a new recipe and adjust amounts because I am cooking for two. Why I didn't do that I don't know. Instead I happily sauteed fennel, celery, onion, and garlic and added it to 6 c. of broth, 1 pound of beans (that is what the recipe called for) and some wheat berries. What was I thinking? As my grandmother would have said, " Enough food for thrashers." Well - maybe.  I plugged it in and went on with my day.

With a pound of beans bubbling in the crock pot, I plied this yarn. I show the yarn hanging from the pegs in the dining room because it isn't twisting back on itself. It has just the right twist and that is a first for me. The Polworth fiber from two of these braids.  

I bought them from Banshee Fiber Arts (Etsy) and separated the fiber by hue. I spun the gold and am knitting it into my Prairie Shawl. I am spinning the shades of blue separately. When I finish and calculate exact yardage, I'll decide on a project. I spun this medium shade on two spindles made by Jim Etcher of True Creations. They are beautifully made, easy to use and spin well.

I am also spinning on some Hipstrings Fiber that was a gift from Kat. When it arrived some time ago, I tried using it but wasn't happy with the singles I was spinning. A week ago I got it out while the spindles with blue fiber rested. My skills have improved. Saturday I even spun with it during a Zoom meetup with another spinner. This was another first for me, spinning and chatting at the same time. 

The spindle in this photo is made by Golding Fiber Tools and is a joy to use. It is a good spinner. My husband gave it to me as a birthday gift. I have only one Golding spindle as they are pricey but exquisitely made. Carefully crafted spindles are little works of art. These craftspersons take simple tools and create beautiful but functional pieces. That, here in Nebraska, I have access to spindles made in Vermont, New York, and Utah is one of the benefits of the internet. I have a couple of smaller spindles that I purchased from Greensleeves Spindles. I believe the maker behind this company is a woman. Kat gifted me another beautiful support spindle made by Ann Grout, a maker no longer making spindles.

After I finished plying yarn, I made cornbread to go with the soup. While the corn bread cooled, I checked the beans. By 6:00 p.m. they were not not anywhere near tender. I checked the recipe. Yes it said, cook on low and not high for 8 - 10 hours. The beans had absorbed most of the broth which had a very good flavor. In an attempt to save the soup, I added more broth and turned the temperature to high. Then I scrambled eggs that we ate with the cornbread and a little fruit. An odd meal but my husband is a good sport about such things. 

By 8:30, I pulled the plug on the crockpot. The beans were done, the wheat berries had cooked up to mush, and the soup was the consistency of sludge. Who knows what the problem was? Old beans, the wrong kind of beans, too many beans, a crockpot with a slightly lower temperature?  As Norah would have said, the crock pot was "full up" with beans. They went out in the trash today. I'm going to try a version of this soup on the stove top with different proportions!! and canned cannellini beans. The fennel, celery, onion, vegetable broth, and parmesan rind had a good flavor. Wish me luck. By the way, my sister turned me on to adding parmesan rinds to soup. When you are grating parmesan, save and freeze the rinds. They keep forever and can be added for additional flavor in soup. Put them in the soup while it is simmering and remove before serving. 

Oh - and the cornbread had an extra 1/4 cup of sugar. Monday dinner was a bit of a disaster but the yarn is beautiful.