Cottage Covets: I have been bitten by the spinning bug. I can spin relatively well on a drop spindle, but I find it a bit tedious. More importantly, with my work schedule, I don't have the time to spin the quantities of yarn I would need to do a reasonably sized project. I have been wanting a spinning wheel for some time but now I think the itch is for real. We will blame it on Carin Riley! While on my commute I have been listening to back issues of The Knit Wits podcast. Listening to Carin's stories of spinning really encourage me to try it.
Tranquil Home: Poor Carin. She is such a good scapegoat. She also has... chickens. J. and I have been discussing getting chickens for a long time. Now that we have the space and environment to do it, it has become a serious consideration. I am researching breeds and have several in mind. Top of my list are Orpingtons, Australorps, Plymouth Rocks, Ameracaunas or possibly Rhode Island Reds. We are thinking 3-5 egg layers. This should be fun.
Tranquil Home: Poor Carin. She is such a good scapegoat. She also has... chickens. J. and I have been discussing getting chickens for a long time. Now that we have the space and environment to do it, it has become a serious consideration. I am researching breeds and have several in mind. Top of my list are Orpingtons, Australorps, Plymouth Rocks, Ameracaunas or possibly Rhode Island Reds. We are thinking 3-5 egg layers. This should be fun.
Also in the Tranquil Home, today I made herb butter for baked chicken. I combine 1/4 cup of butter with fresh herbs from my garden. I use about 1 tsp each oregano, thyme, rosemary and basil, 2 cloves of grated garlic, 1/4 tsp fresh cracked black pepper and 1/2 tsp seasoning salt. I use a muddle to blend all the ingredients well. Then with my freshly dried roasting chicken, I carefully separate the skin from the meat and tuck the herb butter under the skin. Then I bake the chicken upside down and covered with foil for the first half of the cook time. Then I flip the bird breast side up, remove the foil and continue to bake until done. Today I was rushing a bit and split the skin on the breast. When this happens the skin will continue to split as it bakes. To avoid this, I would normally "pin" it closed with a toothpick but try as I might, I could not figure out where I put the toothpicks when I unpacked them! Anyway, with these tips you get a beautifully browned bird, albeit with split skin.
Getting needled: I have been working on the Harvest Dew socks by Rose Hiver and they are done in Wool Candy Meringue Merino in the Mad Hatter colorway. This is a tremendously fun pattern and they travel so well. The pattern repeat has 4 rows but that hardly matters because 3 of the rows are the same! So easy to memorize and the pattern is so obvious on the needles you don't have to think too hard about where you are. I expect to finish these by the next blog post.
Lets make a toast: I stopped in this little country store called Merry Moo Market. They happened to be having a Wine Tasting which was an added bonus. I really stopped because they had a sign advertising fresh milk and I stopped to get a bottle for J. I ended up getting him their fresh dark chocolate milk. It was rather amazing. Since they were doing the wine tasting, I found a little gem for me. DR. L Loosen Bros, 2013 Reisling. It is a German wine, from Mosel. Very light and fruity. Excellent for a warm summer day. I am enjoying it very much!