Monday, April 28, 2014

three notes

I was looking for my smallest circular needle today and found it
tucked into a project bag, in one of my baskets, already engaged:


Isn't this pretty?

I only wish I could remember what I did there. And why. Probably just a swatch, experimenting with symmetrical shaping. (That sounded all good and purposeful, didn't it? Heh.)


Someday maybe I will get better about making notes while I am fooling around with knitting. Or dyeing. Or cooking, even. When I used to do my own darkroom work, I was very good about writing things down, all the time. Every contact sheet and every test print and every final print carried lightly penciled numbers on the back, so I could tell exactly what the conditions and timing had been for that particular print. If I could keep good notes in the dark, hour after hour, you'd think simply jotting down a few knitting/dyeing/cooking notes once in a while would be pretty simple, wouldn't you?
Yep. I'll work on it.

~~~

Speaking of cooking, here's a fun fact that may be useful.
If you have a large crockpot/slow cooker, but only wish to make
a small amount of something,
you can simply place a smaller container in the crock
and you're good to go!
I've been doing this ever since I picked up a massive old crockpot
at a tag sale. Easy peasy!

This is a 4-cup pyrex container,
sitting on the bottom of a 7-quart crockpot:



This was an experiment with a sort of baked egg dish.
I did not want to risk a dozen eggs on an experiment,
so this was 5 eggs, a splash of milk, some grated cheddar, and a sweet pepper.


It came out pretty well, I think.
Moist and tasty.
Oh, I just realized:
by posting about it here,
I have already made notes about this experiment!
Bonus!!!
~~~

And as a postscript to yesterday's report about Piper in the woods, I have more recent excitement to share. Very early this morning, Piper suddenly exploded into loud barking - the growly, serious barking that means I am out of bed and in my dungarees before I even know what has happened.
Piper was heading for the back door, so I got in front of her and peered out the window into the dim light of dawn. And there I immediately saw the source of Piper's (ongoing, frantic) outrage.
It was a turkey.
A turkey in a tree.

YOU say turkey. I say Bizarre Levitating DeathMonster. 

I appreciate your effort, Piper, but I like wild turkeys.
I fact, I kind of hope this one will stick around and maybe raise a family nearby.
Let's try to make it feel just a little more welcome, shall we?


Hmmmph. Nothing that big should be in a tree, over our heads.
Waiting to swoop down on us because we DIDN'T BARK AT IT.
You know what? Being your bodyguard is no picnic.
~~~~~

16 comments:

  1. I'm with Piper...and they're ugly, too! :-) Thanks for the tip on the crockpot. Hope you find something to make from that pretty knitting (beautiful yarn)...maybe a turkey neck warmer!

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  2. Too funny. I was wondering if you had a bobcat in the woods. A turkey is not quite as, um, exciting!

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    1. What baffles me is how Piper, who had been sleeping at the opposite end of the house, even knew it was there. It's not like a turkey sitting in a tree makes a lot of noise!

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  3. Ah Quinn, I've been trying to get all those UFO's collected...thus far, I've failed. So many projects and needles NOT being used. Mercy.
    Piper is a good watchdog even if it was a turkey. Having dogs bark makes me happy.

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    1. Yes, part of what made Piper's behavior yesterday so eerie was that she did NOT bark, even though she was clearly upset. Today's over-reaction was a lot more normal! :)

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  4. That's clearly a doll's dress in progress..the knitting I mean.

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    1. Ha! You may be right! It would be a very pretty doll's dress. Would require a lining though...maybe deep cobalt blue. Or scarlet!

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  5. Nice egg dish! I would never have thought of putting a smaller dish inside the bigger crock pot. Ingenious!

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    Replies
    1. Not sure where I learned this a few years ago, but could well be from Steph O'Dea at her "A Year of Slow Cooking" blog. Many great recipes and tips! http://crockpot365.blogspot.com

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  6. Curious piece, I like the feather or pine tree pattern. So I search online and found one I like with the directions! Not the same as yours though. Could yours be a ruffle?

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  7. That knitting IS pretty! A nice little inspiration :) I write notes directly into my cookbooks ... as long as my husband doesn't whisk them away before I jot things down. I like using old cookbooks of my mother's and a great aunt that have all sorts of little suggestions penned in the margins ... it's like we're all cooking together. How nice to have a turkey in the yard ... I thought you were going to say it was a bear! Maybe some corn scattered on the ground will entice him to stick around (although Piper probably has other ideas there). What a good dog to notice an intruder whether good or bad ;) Wendy x

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    1. A bear is one of the first things I thought of, because it's about that time. Piper's seen bears before, though, and at very close range, so her reaction was not what I'd expect. I may never know.

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  8. Swooping turkeys are pretty freaky! I'm on Piper's side, although I love wild turkeys too!

    Great idea for the huge crockpot!

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  9. Hi Quinn...I envy you! I would love to be able to knit, just to have the patience would be quite a feat. I have a cook pot that has had very little use since we have been empty nesters. You just gave me a brilliant idea!

    Love how your little guy is befriending turkey's. We have two on our property ( i hope they are still there) which I look forward to seeing next week.

    Just want to say as well...that I am finally getting to your postcard! Sorry for the delay, I had you on the "sent" list and realised that I had not written a PC to you yet. I blame it on the tropical heat. ;)

    Sending you warm wishes from Saigon...
    Jeanne ;)

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    Replies
    1. If you are about to undertake a massive construction project on your new (so to speak) home, I'd suggest that this is an ideal time to take up knitting. It can be an excellent tension-tamer, and a very useful tool for transitioning between high levels of concentration to a meditative calmness ;)

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