Yesterday was a miserable day, with Dutch weather, i.e., misty rain and gloomy. It was a good day to stay in, knit, and read. We had soup and grilled cheese sandwiches for lunch which I always like on a damp day. I did finish my first sock ever, using pink, purple, and gray striping yarn. In the process I learned that my feet are 8.5" long. The sock fits, but the top is awfully baggy. I have set it aside for now since my dark blue cotton/modal yarn arrived, and I plan to make a vest for myself. Paul saw me working on it and requested one, too, so after I finish it, I guess I'll be looking for a men's pattern and more yarn. So far it is working up very nicely because the yarn, from Knit Picks, is very soft.
In between stitches, I finished reading Heron Island by R. A. Harold who read part of her work-in-progress last summer at the Old Labor Hall. Roberta self-published her mystery which takes place in 1903, partly on a fictional island in Lake Champlain, in rough-and-tumble Barre, and in New York City. She obviously did a great deal of research from her descriptions of South Hero and Grand Isle, the life of the rich and the poor, and the labor movements at that time. I am still unclear about whether the main character, Dade Wyatt, actually works for the Secret Service or for his friend Mr. Dodge, but, at any rate, he is scouting the security of the island in preparation for a visit by President Theodore Roosevelt when a murder occurs. Roberta mixes fictional characters with historical ones, and it is fun to read about the Webbs, Carlo Abate, and even TR. I thought it was a little long, but am looking forward to her book signing in late November at the OLH. I think I'll get a few copies for Christmas presents.
I noticed that Louise Penny recently received several awards for her mysteries, and it's about time. I was taking my time with her latest book, Bury Your Dead, because I wanted to savor it. But as I got toward the last quarter, I just couldn't stop reading. Now comes a long wait, no doubt, for her next Inspector Gamache installment.
And last night's first episode of Sherlock on Masterpiece Mystery was just great! It's a modern telling and has some humorous parts, as the old Sherlock Holmes stories had. I'm looking forward to the next two episodes!
Monday, October 25, 2010
Saturday, October 23, 2010
Fresh apple cake
This fall I've been experimenting with various apple cake recipes. I made one to take to the Friends' potluck early in Sept. It was the kind with caramel frosting and WAY too sweet. I did a little web search for recipes, but finally ended up adapting the one right on the back of my favorite cookbook The Bakery Lane Soup Bowl Cookbook, published right here in Vermont by two ladies who used to own a great soup restaurant in Middlebury. Everything I make out of this book turns out great. I did add the raisins and a little more spice to the original. Also, I use the apple skin and all. Here's the recipe.
FRESH APPLE CAKE
Preheat oven to 325 degrees and grease/flour a 9 x 13" pan.
Mix together:
2 1/3 c. flour
2 c. sugar (a mix of white and brown is nice)
1 t. baking soda
3/4 t. salt
1 t. cinnamon
1/2 t. nutmeg
1/4 t. ground cloves
Add:
1/2 c. chopped walnuts (or a little more)
1 c. raisins
Grate 3-4 apples, skin and all, to come up with 3 c. apples. (Paula Reds, Macoun, Macintosh are all good)
Mix together 1/2 c. oil and 2 beaten eggs
Alternately add the apples and oil mixture to the dry ingredients. Mix well.
Pour into pan and bake 45-60 min. til done in the middle. Allow to cool and sprinkle with powdered sugar.
FRESH APPLE CAKE
Preheat oven to 325 degrees and grease/flour a 9 x 13" pan.
Mix together:
2 1/3 c. flour
2 c. sugar (a mix of white and brown is nice)
1 t. baking soda
3/4 t. salt
1 t. cinnamon
1/2 t. nutmeg
1/4 t. ground cloves
Add:
1/2 c. chopped walnuts (or a little more)
1 c. raisins
Grate 3-4 apples, skin and all, to come up with 3 c. apples. (Paula Reds, Macoun, Macintosh are all good)
Mix together 1/2 c. oil and 2 beaten eggs
Alternately add the apples and oil mixture to the dry ingredients. Mix well.
Pour into pan and bake 45-60 min. til done in the middle. Allow to cool and sprinkle with powdered sugar.
Sunday, October 17, 2010
Second place ribbon!
Rainbow Sylvia (at right) won a second place ribbon in the bed-sized category at yesterday's Show and Tell at the Green Mountain Quilters Guild meeting. I was really pleased, especially because my friend Elaine's teal Storm at Sea was just as beautiful and won a third place ribbon. The winning bed-sized quilt was black, white, and bright blue - very effective.
It was a good meeting, with 8 vendors who had some wonderful items. I bought a few batik half-yards, some of which I've already cut into FQs to share with my secret pal, and a couple of other pieces of fabric that I will use eventually. They are already in the wash. I also bought some new iron-on tape that can be used to fuse pieces of batting together. I often zig zag pieces to make larger ones, but this should be more stable.
There were two very interesting workshops. Kim talked about making and working with hexagons. She uses template plastic for hers while I have been using double layers of freezer paper. I guess I will give plastic a whirl. She also uses a paper clip to stablize while she bastes the seam allowances. This is a great, simple method I'd never thought of.
Diane told about the many ways to use computers to print onto fabric. She showed us some lovely things, including a beautiful embellished jacket with "cameos" of her mother and a neat quilt of her dog and his favorite items to chase in the yard. I'm going to have to check on what type of ink is in our printer's cartridges and, perhaps, print some sheets and then wash them to see how colorfast the ink really is. I just printed a label onto June Taylor fabric backed with freezer paper and hope it holds up when washed. Hadn't even thought to check.
It was a pleasant day, riding down with Paula through the last of the foliage (more colorful than at "peak"). We caught glimpses of snow on the mountain tops, and she said she had some wet stuff at her house the night before.
It was a good meeting, with 8 vendors who had some wonderful items. I bought a few batik half-yards, some of which I've already cut into FQs to share with my secret pal, and a couple of other pieces of fabric that I will use eventually. They are already in the wash. I also bought some new iron-on tape that can be used to fuse pieces of batting together. I often zig zag pieces to make larger ones, but this should be more stable.
There were two very interesting workshops. Kim talked about making and working with hexagons. She uses template plastic for hers while I have been using double layers of freezer paper. I guess I will give plastic a whirl. She also uses a paper clip to stablize while she bastes the seam allowances. This is a great, simple method I'd never thought of.
Diane told about the many ways to use computers to print onto fabric. She showed us some lovely things, including a beautiful embellished jacket with "cameos" of her mother and a neat quilt of her dog and his favorite items to chase in the yard. I'm going to have to check on what type of ink is in our printer's cartridges and, perhaps, print some sheets and then wash them to see how colorfast the ink really is. I just printed a label onto June Taylor fabric backed with freezer paper and hope it holds up when washed. Hadn't even thought to check.
It was a pleasant day, riding down with Paula through the last of the foliage (more colorful than at "peak"). We caught glimpses of snow on the mountain tops, and she said she had some wet stuff at her house the night before.
Saturday, October 9, 2010
A fun time had by all
I forgot my camera every day, but we had fun with Mom even if we didn't record it for posterity. Her plane arrived on time last Saturday but her baggage didn't arrive until Sunday night. Luckily, she could borrow a few essentials, and she is always a good sport anyway. Sunday, we hung around the house and then met Chris for a play in Montpelier. The Complete History of America, Abridged was hilarious, just as we expected - lots of political humor, mayhem, and even some cross-dressing.
Monday, Mom and I headed up to Stowe because the weather was beginning to clear. Most of the other tourists seemed to have the same idea. The Cold Hollow Cider Mill was full, but we did find a few gifties there before heading to the Trapp Family Lodge. Up on top of the mountain, the views were great. We did a little more shopping before going to the Shed, a Stowe institution, for lunch. On the way home we stopped at the Danforth Pewter, Champlain Chocolates, and Cabot Cheese outlets. Mom bought me some lovely earrings.
After all that running around and using our credit cards, I thought Mom would be tired, but on Tuesday she was ready for more. So after a look at the Old Labor Hall and my garden plot, we headed over to Bragg Farm and, later, Morse Farm for maple syrup and other goodies. The ladies at Morse's told me that they had had seven tour buses that day. High season for sure, as people lined up for maple creemies. Chris and Ivy joined us for dinner which was fun.
Wed. it rained, sometimes heavily, so we decided to forego a trip to the St. Gaudens National Park in NH and head to the Porter Music Box Museum in Randolph instead. It was a fun visit and also a good day to end with beef stew in the crock pot.
Thursday was still rainy, but we went out anyway to visit Lauraine and George Warfield over in Weybridge. It started to clear when we arrived, and the foliage was not at peak there. It has peaked here so is a little disappointing. We were pleased to meet the Warfield's granddaughter Anais Mitchell whose rock opera Hadestown we had seen twice in Barre. Paul ws happy to be able to talk to her about singing The Internationale at the Old Labor Hall next May. It was a very pleasant visit, including our tour of Lauraine's quilting room, full of antiques in need of finishing and TLC. People know she's a quilter, so they send her things to fix. Glad they don't do that to me!
Friday, Mom's last day here, we tried to squeeze in all the sights we hadn't taken her to without getting her too tired: the Rock of Ages visitors' center, Hope Cemetery, etc. Cindy, Sandy, and Polly came over for dinnr which was fun, too. I was glad that she was able to meet these friends with whom I have shared so much in the last ten or so years. This morning, Chris drove us to the airport, and we were sorry to see Mom leave. She is so amazingly vital for age 88, so happy to see and do just about anything, and so enthusiastic about life. She is, I think, especially pleased to see Chris growing up so well and to see Paul and me active in our "retirement."
Monday, Mom and I headed up to Stowe because the weather was beginning to clear. Most of the other tourists seemed to have the same idea. The Cold Hollow Cider Mill was full, but we did find a few gifties there before heading to the Trapp Family Lodge. Up on top of the mountain, the views were great. We did a little more shopping before going to the Shed, a Stowe institution, for lunch. On the way home we stopped at the Danforth Pewter, Champlain Chocolates, and Cabot Cheese outlets. Mom bought me some lovely earrings.
After all that running around and using our credit cards, I thought Mom would be tired, but on Tuesday she was ready for more. So after a look at the Old Labor Hall and my garden plot, we headed over to Bragg Farm and, later, Morse Farm for maple syrup and other goodies. The ladies at Morse's told me that they had had seven tour buses that day. High season for sure, as people lined up for maple creemies. Chris and Ivy joined us for dinner which was fun.
Wed. it rained, sometimes heavily, so we decided to forego a trip to the St. Gaudens National Park in NH and head to the Porter Music Box Museum in Randolph instead. It was a fun visit and also a good day to end with beef stew in the crock pot.
Thursday was still rainy, but we went out anyway to visit Lauraine and George Warfield over in Weybridge. It started to clear when we arrived, and the foliage was not at peak there. It has peaked here so is a little disappointing. We were pleased to meet the Warfield's granddaughter Anais Mitchell whose rock opera Hadestown we had seen twice in Barre. Paul ws happy to be able to talk to her about singing The Internationale at the Old Labor Hall next May. It was a very pleasant visit, including our tour of Lauraine's quilting room, full of antiques in need of finishing and TLC. People know she's a quilter, so they send her things to fix. Glad they don't do that to me!
Friday, Mom's last day here, we tried to squeeze in all the sights we hadn't taken her to without getting her too tired: the Rock of Ages visitors' center, Hope Cemetery, etc. Cindy, Sandy, and Polly came over for dinnr which was fun, too. I was glad that she was able to meet these friends with whom I have shared so much in the last ten or so years. This morning, Chris drove us to the airport, and we were sorry to see Mom leave. She is so amazingly vital for age 88, so happy to see and do just about anything, and so enthusiastic about life. She is, I think, especially pleased to see Chris growing up so well and to see Paul and me active in our "retirement."
Monday, September 27, 2010
Happy Banned Books Week!
Sept. 25-Oct. 2 is the American Library Association's annual Banned Books Week, so I thought I'd check and see how many I have read. After all, I live across the street from Katherine Paterson, one of the most famous authors in the world whose books are often challenged in school libraries. She is a champion of human rights, the winner of the Hans Christian Andersen medal (akin to the Nobel Prize for children's literature), and very nice person. Years ago, when we needed overnight coverage at the battered women's shelter, she took a few turns. My favorite book by her is The Great Gilly Hopkins since I hear her voice in Gilly. I also loved Lyddie, the story of a Vermont girl who goes to work in the textile mills of Lowell, Mass. The Day of the Pelican, her latest book, was the "Vermont Reads" selection last year and deals with Muslim Eastern European refugees who end up in Barre right before 9/11.
The most often banned or challenged items of 2000-2009 include some books I've read, but many of them are children's titles. The Harry Potter series tops the list, but I, of course, loved HP and look forward to reading it again, maybe this winter. When Cindy re-read it, she said she noticed Rowling dropped a lot of clues that foreshadowed the last book. Looking over the list, I see To Kill a Mockingbird, another book I want to re-read soon since 2011 will be the 50th anniversary of its publication. It has been chosen the "Vermont Reads" book for next year. It's interesting to see some of my favorite children's books on the list, though, and I will try to get a few of the ones I haven't read to see what all the hullaballoo is about.
The most often banned or challenged items of 2000-2009 include some books I've read, but many of them are children's titles. The Harry Potter series tops the list, but I, of course, loved HP and look forward to reading it again, maybe this winter. When Cindy re-read it, she said she noticed Rowling dropped a lot of clues that foreshadowed the last book. Looking over the list, I see To Kill a Mockingbird, another book I want to re-read soon since 2011 will be the 50th anniversary of its publication. It has been chosen the "Vermont Reads" book for next year. It's interesting to see some of my favorite children's books on the list, though, and I will try to get a few of the ones I haven't read to see what all the hullaballoo is about.
Friday, September 24, 2010
Fall is definitely here
We took a ride out to Wells River, an hour east and over Orange Heights, earlier in the week. The leaves are definitely turning and we saw some pretty individual trees. We are predicting that the foliage will be at peak when my mother arrives on the 2nd, so I hope the weather is sunny and dry that week.
The reason we went to Wells River was to visit Mary, the long arm quilter, and pick up my Asian Jane. She is a busy and talented lady who created the Machine Quilters' Expo. It started "small" in Manchester, NH, where it outgrew its space and is now held in Providence. Now she's working on a west coast MQX. Her two pugs, one of which is the mother of Mark Lipinski's cover-dog, and big black mutt, Bob Marley, greeted us. She did a simple design on the blocks and then curves on the triangles. Now comes the binding which I sewed on by machine yesterday and will begin sewing down soon. Can't wait to see how it looks on the bed.
I have been making a list of all the quilts I have made and see that the closet is overflowing with them. It is time to give a few more away, but I'm not sure to whom they should go. Everyone says they make quilts for their families, but all of my family members have plenty of my quilts. I am thinking of approaching the new owner of a home decorating shop to see if she would sell one or two a year on consignment. The blue and green quilt I just finished was given to a friend who works at Barre City Elementary School for a needy child, and I have a couple more to finish that I'll give her. But even new outlets will have to be discovered. One can only sleep under so many quilts!
The reason we went to Wells River was to visit Mary, the long arm quilter, and pick up my Asian Jane. She is a busy and talented lady who created the Machine Quilters' Expo. It started "small" in Manchester, NH, where it outgrew its space and is now held in Providence. Now she's working on a west coast MQX. Her two pugs, one of which is the mother of Mark Lipinski's cover-dog, and big black mutt, Bob Marley, greeted us. She did a simple design on the blocks and then curves on the triangles. Now comes the binding which I sewed on by machine yesterday and will begin sewing down soon. Can't wait to see how it looks on the bed.
I have been making a list of all the quilts I have made and see that the closet is overflowing with them. It is time to give a few more away, but I'm not sure to whom they should go. Everyone says they make quilts for their families, but all of my family members have plenty of my quilts. I am thinking of approaching the new owner of a home decorating shop to see if she would sell one or two a year on consignment. The blue and green quilt I just finished was given to a friend who works at Barre City Elementary School for a needy child, and I have a couple more to finish that I'll give her. But even new outlets will have to be discovered. One can only sleep under so many quilts!
Sunday, September 19, 2010
Coupla quilts
Here are two recently finished quilts. Actually, they were done a couple of weeks ago but it has been too gloomy on the days that I thought about taking pictures to do any photography outside. I try to "cat
ch the wave" when Paul is doing banjo photography for advertising items on e-bay.
Baskets for Christine includes blocks made monthly since last fall as part of the "Basket Case Quilt" group on Yahoo. I made one block a month and sometimes the bonus, and they often featured dimensional aspects. I quilted many of the blocks as I went along which presented quite a challenge when I put the whole thing together since the blocks varied in size so much. I did enjoy trying out a few free motion quilting motifs in the process. I will be giving this quilt to Christine, the president of the Friends of the Library. Since I put together the "signed by the author" raffle baskets we sponsor, I hope she will think of me when she uses it.
The next quilt is a blue and green scrappy quilt from a pattern Paula, the chair
of the Heart of Vermont guild, showed me. It was an attempt to use up some of my scraps but, funny thing, I still have plenty after putting this together. It was quick and easy. Would look good in Halloween colors as well as red, white, and blue. Hmmmm...
Right now I'm making a large purple and pink quilt using scraps along with 4 yds. of a light lavendar background. The center medallion is appliqued, and then there is a scrappy pieced border. Now I'm appliqueing wide borders which should take several weeks to finish. The final border will be pieced uneven nine patches. All of the applique designs came from the latest book by the "Piece o Cake" ladies.
ch the wave" when Paul is doing banjo photography for advertising items on e-bay.Baskets for Christine includes blocks made monthly since last fall as part of the "Basket Case Quilt" group on Yahoo. I made one block a month and sometimes the bonus, and they often featured dimensional aspects. I quilted many of the blocks as I went along which presented quite a challenge when I put the whole thing together since the blocks varied in size so much. I did enjoy trying out a few free motion quilting motifs in the process. I will be giving this quilt to Christine, the president of the Friends of the Library. Since I put together the "signed by the author" raffle baskets we sponsor, I hope she will think of me when she uses it.
The next quilt is a blue and green scrappy quilt from a pattern Paula, the chair
of the Heart of Vermont guild, showed me. It was an attempt to use up some of my scraps but, funny thing, I still have plenty after putting this together. It was quick and easy. Would look good in Halloween colors as well as red, white, and blue. Hmmmm...Right now I'm making a large purple and pink quilt using scraps along with 4 yds. of a light lavendar background. The center medallion is appliqued, and then there is a scrappy pieced border. Now I'm appliqueing wide borders which should take several weeks to finish. The final border will be pieced uneven nine patches. All of the applique designs came from the latest book by the "Piece o Cake" ladies.
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