Hello Gentle Readers. As I write these words, the day is very gray. I've seen photos of snowdrops blooming but that certainly isn't happening here. The only blooms I see are in the bouquets in the floral departments of grocery stores. With deep cold and little snow, the landscape rests in grays and browns. The cardinals and bluejays provide a spark of color. Sunday while walking, the brave sweet song of a house finch lifted my spirits.
Today I am linking with Kat and the Unravelers to post about making and reading. I'm making progress on my projects. I finished the first sleeve of my sweater and am working on the second sleeve. In between, I finished this hat and will donate it. While I love the look of ribbing, my hands didn't love knitting it in heavy worsted/aran weight yarn. The yarn is a woolen spun wool with some alpaca so the hat is warm. I have another skein of this yarn but plan to knit a beanie with a ribbed brim and a stockinette body.
Awhile back I finished spinning a small (123 yards) skein of two-ply fingering/sport weight yarn. This is the third skein from a batch of Rambouillet fiber in shades of pink. I'm currently spinning singles from another small nest of deeper pink fiber. I am spinning smaller skeins of more tonal colors instead of combining them into a larger skein.
This week I read the historical fiction novel, These Days by Lucy Caldwell. I have read many books about the Blitz in London but none about the same events in Ireland, specifically Belfast. The story takes place over a short period of time in 1941 with two sisters as the main characters. Both are on the cusp of adulthood and trying to find their way. While the main characters are the most developed, Caldwell's secondary characters also play an important part in the novel. The descriptions of bombings with the random madness of destruction and loss of life are vividly but beautifully portrayed. All the elements of this novel: writing, story, character development, setting are well done.
I made an early Valentine treat. My daughter gave me a subscription to the magazine, "Bake from Scratch" as a birthday gift. The holiday issue featured an article on different kinds of cocoa including "black cocoa." As a treat, I ordered some to make this black cocoa cake with a vanilla glaze. It's like an oreo cookie only much better and worth the splurge on calories. In the glaze, I substituted oat milk for cream and added a tablespoon of melted butter for fat. I wish I could send you all a piece. I also wished I'd centered it when I plopped it onto the plate. However, being a little off center didn't affect the flavor.
Stay warm and safe my friends.
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You're in the home stretch of that sweater, and I think you'll get a good amount of wear from it before winter ends. I love your pink skein -- perfect for Valentine's Day! I also wish I could taste that cake because it sounds divine! What is the difference between black cocoa and regular cocoa? Do you notice a difference in taste?
ReplyDeleteYour little pink skein of yarn is so sweet . . . and a perfect "accompaniment" to your luscious cake! Oh, I would love to sit down with you to splurge on a cup of tea and a slice of your cake. Enjoy the these dreary winter days, Jane. Soon(ish) we'll be seeing spring flowers all around!
ReplyDeleteHmmm...have never heard of black cocoa, so I am curious. Stronger? Different? Love your pink skein. I always say that pink is not a color for me, yet when I see pink yarn I fall in love. Go figure! I just started The Black Wolf and am knitting on the Family Socks.
ReplyDeleteYour sweater looks so warm and cozy and someone will be thrilled to receive that warm hat. Snowdrops made me chuckle; we don't have any bare ground showing and they would have to push up through all the snow and ice. That won't be happening here either for quite a while. Your cake looks absolutely delicious. I'm going to have to check out that magazine and maybe make my own black cocoa cake. Enjoy yours!
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely skein! That soft pink looks good enough to eat as does that cake. Black cocoa? I've just learned something new. The sweater is really beautiful. It takes a lot of skill to make that much stockinette look so good.
ReplyDeleteLast year at this time, my snowdrops were blooming... this year, they are blanketed under a thick cover of snow and there is more snow on the way so they are likely to stay tucked in to the long winter's nap at least for the foreseeable future! Your sweater is looking fabulous... doesn't that home stretch knitting feel good!? Your pink yarn and chocolate cake look delicious! I'd love to stop by for a slice and a bit of conversation!
ReplyDeleteI always think I might knit a ribbed hat but I don’t think I could keep it up for a whole hat. Love your pink yarn. I am very drawn to pink these days.
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