Dyeing Fiber

Yesterday, I decided to experiment with using McCormick dyes and the crock pot for dying. I soaked my 4oz of Cormo wool for about an hour in the crock pot before beginning.

The three colors I used are Sunset Orange, pure yellow, and Dusky Pink, all drawn from the back of the McCormick box. I poured the dye (3x the icing amount listed on the back mixed with 3/4 cup boiling water and 2 tbsps of lemon juice) over sections of the wool in the pot, which was full of water, then put the crock pot on high. I let the dye soak for two hours on high, and it was completely exhausted.

Here's the fiber washing in the sink post-crockpot:



And drying in the sun on my deck (yes, that baby gate makes a fantastic rack for hanging fiber):

Triangle Restaurant Review: Bread and Kabob's Glorious Return

I'm a foodie. There, I said it. And the Triangle area of NC is full of fabulous food options, including some restaurants to rival the "big cities" - and I know, as I've eaten my way through Chicago and Washington, DC. There are certainly blogs out there devoted to food in my area (Carpe Durham is my go-to for new restaurants), but every once in a while, there's a restaurant that deserves special attention.

Bread and Kabob, located inside the 1013 bar on Main St in Durham near Duke, is one of those restaurants.

I should start with the full story. Bread and Kabob used to be its own restaurant, in the same location, when my husband was in high school. He's a native of the area, I am not. When we lived in Chicago and DC, we loved to frequent Persian and Afghan restaurants, and almost every single time we tried a new one, he would compare it to Bread and Kabob.

To his great sorrow, Bread and Kabob closed just before we met, and he never got to introduce me to his favorite college meal. The story goes that the owners went back to Afghanistan to start a business. Their children remained in America and opened the 1013 bar in the former location of Bread and Kabob.

Fast forward to Wednesday. Carpe Durham announced that Bread and Kabob was back. We went immediately, dragging along Knits, Jr., and tried their brand new buffet.

For 7 years, I've listened to the other half extoll the virtues of Bread and Kabob. It lives up to the hype. The buffet had a chicken curry, two rice dishes, and three veggies (spinach, potatoes, and green beans), though the selection is subject to change. The curry was top notch, the beef rice dish was something I'd never had before and was amazing, and the potatoes were so good as to call for multiple visits to the buffet. The buffet also had rice pudding - perfect rice pudding, with the rice still identifiable instead of mush, and bits of almond adding crunch here and there. Also brought to the table was a big basket of delicious, fresh bread.

It was so amazing, in fact, that we went back on Thursday. My husband went for the buffet, again. I decided to order chicken kabobs with rice off the menu. Again, perfection. The chicken was juicy and perfectly cooked, the rice generously sprinkled with sumac spice, and two chargrilled tomatoes on the side.

We'll go again, and again, and again. Welcome back, Bread and Kabob.

Triinu in process

It's going. And going. And going.

Wedding Shawl

I have a project on a deadline. I'm never, ever good with deadlines, but we'll see how it goes.

I'm knitting Triinu from Knitted Lace of Estonia in the pink yarn I overdyed last year to wear at my sister's wedding on August 13. That's a whole 2.5 months away. I can do it, right?

Sort of Finished?

After 9 months of knitting, I've finished my Featherweight Cardigan - an entire sweater knit out of laceweight yarn. I'm thrilled. So proud!

But you'll see there are no pictures.

I've finished 9 months of knitting... and I can't talk myself into blocking it. See, in order to block, I need to clean the toys off Knits Jr.'s floor. I need to put up with Knits Jr. screaming like the devil in his crib while I pin the piece out. I haven't been able to get up the nerve to do it.

Left/Right

Today, I learned how to knit left-handed.

I've been teaching knitting lessons for a few months, now. I've had no fewer than 3 people ask for directions on how to knit left-handed (not holding yarn in left hand, which is knitting continental, but actually knitting from left to right instead of right to left) and now, finally, I've given in and learned to do it myself. I'm sick of being stumped by questions. And though I'm still figuring out a few of the kinks, I did it all by myself.

How will this help beyond helping other people to knit? If I can get proficient at it, I'll be able to replace purling entirely with simply knitting back the other direction. Pretty cool, if I do say so!

Ready, Set, Knit

It's amazing how children take up every bit of time without leaving a whole lot to say about it. My little boy is almost a year old. In the past weeks, he's learned to stand free of objects, cruises along the couch and chair and tables, will take a step (but only one step) before falling down to his knees. He's a truly amazing little man, and despite all the work involved, it's worth it to be staying home with him.

And I've been knitting, but not as much. Here's what's in the pipeline, though:



Clara is a shawlette worked from the center out, but can easily be sized up for a full shawl. She is named for the daughter I lost in March 2009 at 11 weeks gestation. Grief is a very long and personal process, and the design of this shawl mirrors the path of my recovery: the center is a soothing, repetitive garter stitch - the only thing I could bring myself to knit after losing her - while the border becomes more complex, as my grief changed over time. The shawl is designed in honor of the ladies of Ravelry’s Healing After Pregnancy Loss group: the strongest women I’ve ever met, and whom I have the great honor of calling friends.