Today has been a busy day…..lots of work in my real life job to be done in order for me to take the weekend off to get away.  Whew…..finally I am finished.  As I get ready to leave, I thought that I would leave one of my favorite Autumn Recipes :-).  We had this soup last nite and every time I have it, all I can say is YUM!

Carrot Soup

1lb carrots
1 potato
1 small onion
1 can Chicken Broth (homemade is even better)
4 c water
Lots of cumin
T Lime Juice
1tsp Salt
Sprinkle of White Pepper
dash Cayenne Red Pepper
1-1/2 c lowfat milk
1 1/2 c cooked chicken shredded

Peel and slice carrots, onion and potato, put in a pan.  Cover with the water and chicken broth.  Add seasoning and lime juice and cook until vegetables are soft.  Place the vegetables and broth in a blender and puree.  Place back in the pan and bring to boiling.  Add milk, chicken and a bit more seasoning until it tastes just right 🙂  Serve with bread and wine…….YUM!

As I sit here writing I am listening to a new to me artist, Rosie Thomas.  Go take a listen at some of her music.  I don’t think you will be disappointed 🙂

I am off for the weekend.  I hope to meet a lot of you in Rhinebeck and for those of you who will be home this weekend…..give this soup a try.  It’s not a very pretty looking recipe like those you see in cookbooks, but it is easy and the soup is delicious…(and low calorie!)

Ciao~

LIfe is finally settling down to a dull roar, and I am finding a little extra time for fibery things.  Earlier, I shared a bag of gorgeous fleece that I had purchased at the fair…..but….what I didn’t share is that THREE bags came home with me!  It has been some time since I have purchased a fleece and somehow sitting right next to many tables of freshly shorn, wonderful fleeces was just too much for any fiber loving person to resist.

I can’t explain what comes over me when I see a gorgeous fleece right off the sheep.  The smell, the textures, the luster….mmmm…..  I grabbed these fleeces and left them on my platform, telling everyone that I was not going to really buy them….I was just trying them on to see if they fit…hehe…

I gave it my best shot and resisted for a few days, but in the end, it was just no use…these fleeces were just to beautiful to resist.

Even though the weather today was probably not the best for washing, my fingers were itching to get at least one of the bags in the wash.  Usually I will have to skirt a fleece and separate it all out, but this particular fleece was so clean and consistent in lock size and texture that I only had to dump the bag into the wash.

After I crank the hot water heater up to it’s highest setting, I use regular dish detergent for the first wash….in my gulp, washing machine.  You can’t tell much from the picture, but the water was pretty clean for the first wash.

Needing only one hot wash and one good hot rinse, the fleece was ready to be put outside to dry.

Many people don’t like to deal with raw fleeces, but for me, the transformation that the raw fleece undergoes and seeing what the final product is going to be, always fascinates me.   The colors in this young Romney fleece are so pretty.  Shades of chocolate and dusky grey are going to be so fun to play with!!

I hear-by swear to stay out of the fleece barn at Rhinebeck, scary things happen when I go in……..!! 

‘Tis a joy to be simple,
tis a joy to be free,
tis a joy to come down where we ought to be…’
an excerpt from Simple Gifts.

Earlier this summer Ken and I became supporting members of the Canterbury Shaker Society in Canterbury, NH.  As the shaker community ages, it’s membership is sadly dwindling.  In order to preserve the rich history and impeccable workmanship of the Shakers, many of the old New England Shaker communities have become working museums.

Canterbury’s Shaker organization not only offers tours of the many buildings that were and are still used by the few shakers left, but also many wonderful workshops and entertaining programs. To read an interesting article about the New England Shaker communities, take a visit here.

Today we ventured down to see the Enfield Shaker Singers, from another Shaker society in Enfield, NH, who were performing in Canterbury.  What a treat!  The singers, all very talented, performed what would have been a typical church service and let me tell you, those Shakers knew how to have fun in church!  Many of the songs were reminiscent of Irish pup songs, only with words of course that reflected their beliefs.  The audience was toe tapping and clapping along.  The words of those from years ago, still hold many truths for today.

Shakers believed in living a simple and useful life………….very inspiring!

 

………….

And yes, even a little knitting……………..

Lest you think that I have completely forgotten that this is kind of a fiber blog :-)…..I have been knitting.

I must admit that I am a bit happy to be knitting something other than hats…LOL  On the needles is a scarf of my own creation using a skein of my Red Maple Sock yarn and a skein of Doucuer et Soie.  I am working the scarf lengthwise, alternating rows of knit and purl ribs and I will put a ruffle along the bottom edge (if I can figure out how..)

I love the combination of the 2 yarns…..it is making for a very soft and colorful scarf!

Seven geese pierce straight line over frigid bay,

Intervals between them constantly
equal,

Pointed wings slash as if joined
to an axle:

Today is the ideal moment between yesterday and tomorrow.

Deng Ming~Dao

Every morning means a fresh start on things.  If yesterday was trying and exhausting, today is a given opportunity to do something different.  If yesterday was full of triumph and satisfaction, today is a free chance to go further.
Deng Ming~Dao

Although I was not going to post until next week, I took the day off today to enjoy the fading colors of Autumn here in the mountains and I thought that you might enjoy a peek of life in my corner of the world this week 🙂

What a week!  The weather was ideal for an Autumn country fair…and so many very nice people came out to visit our little fiber building.

As I have mentioned in the past, the group of women that I share space with in this Fiber Center are incredibly talented women, who are more than willing to share their knowledge with anyone who wants to learn something new.

This week I worked with my good friend Susan Mills learning new techniques in felting vessels.  Susan’s works, in my humble opinion are pieces of art…she is a very talented woman.

The white/black vessel is Susan’s and the other 2 were my practice pieces.  Next week when I get caught up on work and company leaves, I will share a little bit about how these vessels are made. 

What I love best about this type of felting is that is there is no limit to what you can do.  Your imagination is your guide 🙂

Remember Those Threads??

Remember those threads from my last post??

What is your guess?  Amazing or embarrassed?? 

Check back here next week

Same bat time

Same bat channel……mwaa..hahaha

Here’s That Reality Part….

Given that I have company this week (MIL) and am in the middle of a very stressful work database conversion, I will not be posting until next week, so I will leave you with my favorite sheepish pictures from the fair…….enjoy your week!!  Remember, Rhinebeck is just around the corner, so keep smilin’

Are these amazing threads or loose ends???  Stay tuned for the full story 🙂

The fleeces this year are phenomenal!!  This is one of 2 that came home
with me and God knows I don’t need any new fleece……..but sometimes they
just speak to you.  All’s I can say is lovely, lovely, lovely!

I will let the pictures speak for themselves this week, as it is too busy for many words….enjoy :-).

A little bit of sock yarn and a little bit of Doucuer et Soie, makes for a lot of Y.U.M!
(sneaking in a little "me" knitting)

Am I Ready For The Fair??
I don’t know, but the dyepots have been put away, the skeins hung and dried and the little hats are sitting pretty in their box waiting to go to their new homes. The roving balls are wound and tomorrow the loom gets warped. 

Preparing for the fair is a lot of work and sometimes I scratch my head wondering why I do it……….until I get there.

There is a magic in this fiber building.  Such positive and creative energy flows from each of the women who support this venture every year.  Each woman has a unique talent that for this one week a year, they share with anyone who wants to learn a little more about the wonderful, wacky world of fiber that we all enjoy.

If you get a chance…………come on up and say hello.  I don’t think you will be disappointed :-).

Have a GREAT week!!!

The days have been a whirlwind of soaking fiber, stirring the caldron, hanging skeins in the wind and sitting behind the carder, as well as having a busy time at my real job.  Not much time unfortunately for blogging, but I feel as though I am getting caught up on some of your lives again.  Even though I can’t type when I am carding, I do get a chance to read away, and it has been theraputic. So nice to see what is going on in everyone’s lives and all the wonderfully, beautiful knitting that’s been happening:-).

A few weeks ago, as you may remember, it was my birthday.  I forgot to show you the little gift that I bought for myself.  A bag of Alice Starmore Bainin yarn went up for sale on one of the email sale lists. Given that Brick is a color I love and I have been wanting to try some of this yarn for so long, I went for it :-).  Now 12 skeins would have been a bit better than 10, so if anyone has 2 skeins of Brick Bainin kicking around, you know where to find me 🙂

Last post you saw Maggie looking absolutely beautiful….and she is!  Maggie however is very mischeivous and loves to tussle with Kali my little black and tan baby.  Now Kali is a dear and puts up with waaay more abuse than most any dog would (imagine a big, gangly Maggie tackling a little 11 pound baby), but she is only patient up to a point….can you tell what point she was at when I took this picture??  Haha!  Kali is a beautiful girl…………but with the sun in her eyes and being completely exasperated with Maggie, she’s looking pretty mean here…<grin>.

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh, it’s good to be back in our room where that big, bully Maggie can’t get us!