The Life and Projects of An Avid Hobbyist

Monday, November 22, 2010

A Good Deed...

December 1st is World AIDS Day.  I was asked by my sister, to prepare a quilt square for as her job's contribution to a quilt comprised of squares from service agencies county-wide .  She works for the Hyacinth AIDS Foundation.  If I can get a photo of the final quilt, I'll be sure to post it here.

This square, and poor planning on my part, lead to me getting very little sleep last week.  I hope it represents their organization well.  Thanks to My Spicy Yarn's contribution with her patience and embroidery.


Hyacinth SquareFinished

World AIDS Day is an international health day.  This year, and every year, world citizens are asked  take action to tackle HIV prejudice and to protect yourself and others from HIV transmission. 

Check out the website for information regarding activities, to raise awareness, commemorate those who have passed on, and celebrate victories such as increased access to treatment and prevention services. 


Do something. ~ksp

Monday, November 8, 2010

Sunday Dinner

I went to visit my local butcher here while he was preparing some beef braciole (pronounced bra jole).  While I don't eat beef, it totally piqued my curiosity.  I asked him to prepare a chicken version for my Sunday dinner. I was looking for something that I could prep and it could cook all day while I tended to my art.
Chicken Braciole

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Into the frying pan.
I pan fried the bundle in my small dutch oven and added some "gravy" (marinara sauce) and let it simmer...for hours...




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Nice and browned.
I did some clean up on my garden plots and got lazy and really hungry in the end, so I served it over whole wheat spaghetti and called it a meal.  If I had planned it better, I would have served it over orzo or a risotto...maybe next time.  Also, I'll ask Neil to make if with chicken thighs instead of the breast.

God, I just love trying new things. ~ksp

Braciole
A yummy experiment.

Sunday, November 7, 2010

A Much Needed Rest

I needed a break...I plotted when daylight's savings time was going to give me my hour back and I planned to hole myself up in the house this weekend and treated myself to no cell phones and death-by-indulgence and some craft time.

When I was in DC, I took a side-wind trip to FibreSpace in Alexandria, VA because I needed an excuse to buy some of Jarred Flood's venture into retail yarn - SHELTER.

I picked up 2 skeins in the Hayloft colorway to coordinate with my favorite Land's End winter jacket.  It's my go-to jacket through most of the winter.  The color was tonal and nubby but a little too dark for the look I was going for, so I decided to carry ember-colored Kidsilk Haze from Fabric.com to provide a halo and soften the color a bit.

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Yarn and riesling...perfect together.
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Chocolate-covered strawberries for Hanna Krause.
I may never come up for air. ~ksp