P&PS

We've had a bit of a winter storm the last couple of days...

Worldless Wednesday Meme

The Magician’s Nephew by C. S. Lewis While the Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe is my favorite of the Narnia chronology this is my least favorite.  Not to say the book is without its merits.  It’s a wonderful introduction into the history of how Narnia comes to be.  It’s filled with imagination and wonderful sense of humor.  The story itself, however, is fluffed up with clichés and redundant actions.  I understand riding oneself of an evil witch from another world would prove difficult, but surely this task could be completed in a more timely and concise manner.  Or perhaps without the constant meddling of the boy’s uncle who proves to be more of a clichéd nuisance than any help at all. Rating: 3/5 (higher for a younger (or young at heart) reader who may be more inclined to find the magician’s lovesick follies amusing.) By the Shores of Silver Lake by Laura Ingalls Wilder As the she grows the world around Laura shifts, reshaping itself to meet...

This month’s theme for the Ravelry one skein KAL is ‘February is for lovers’, at the beginning of the month I didn’t have any projects in the running (since then everyone seems to want something ;) ) so I decided to do up a bunch of hearts.  I figured they’d be quick, something fun I could do while watching tv or during study breaks.  The only thing was I couldn’t find a pattern to make them up in the round, so I modified one by Mochimochi Land . Supplies : Yarn Two circular needles to fit yarn weight (you can do this with dpns as well but you’ll need a different cast on and a stitch marker to mark the halfway point in the round where the pattern repeats) Yarn or other large-eyed needle Stitch holder of some sort (a third circular needle or piece of scrap yarn works best) Favorite fluffy material/fiber fill Cast on 6 stitches using Judy’s Magic Cast-on Row 1 : k1, kfb, knit to last stitch on needle kfb , repeat on the second needle Row 2 : knit Repeat rows one ...

Becca and I have been discussing the merits of the seasons.  I’ve been pining for weather warm enough to wear a dress and she’s been itching for snow .  Mostly she makes me jealous of blue skies and green things and I tease her with photos of snow and fun wintery things.  This is one of those posts, complete with gloomy winter photo.    

the Wordless Wednesdays meme

How to tell you’ve got cabin fever It’s 20 degrees and snowing when you left this morning but it feels like spring You’ve started knitting a hat for spring weather You’re currently sorting through projects you haven’t touched in years looking for one to finish/discard You’ve been baking up a storm You’re pouring over seed catalogues and diagramming gardens You’re counting down the days till the baby chicks arrive at the farm store You step in every mud puddle you can find because it’s MUD You’re tempted to buy green veggies shipped from New Zealand because their green and springy You forget to turn the hot water on in the shower until you get in You run out to get the mail without your shoes on You picked out a skirt to wear until you realized you’d freeze before you even made it to the bus stop You think warm weather is almost here…in another three months

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I’ve got a couple of book/movie posts coming so I figured I should post something a bit more typical of me before I got started with all that.  I’ve made mention to several people that I’ve started making my own crackers.  This tends to be met initially with surprise and then curiosity.  When I first came across the recipe I was quite surprised myself; I’d considered making pretzels but had completely skipped over crackers. The recipe I’ve included in this post is one shared by an Alberta 100-mile dieter with a knack for picking out some awesome recopies.  The original post for anyone interested is here . I’ve learned a couple of things having gone through this process quite a few times now: When using whole wheat flour add the extra liquid required (I use about double) but hold off on adding extra flour until after you’ve let the dough set for 10 or so minutes. Do chill the dough.  It makes rolling it out immensely easier. I prefer my crackers crispy...