Stoneview

Yesterday we had a lovely dinner on the beach and left just at sunset. Alice made fava beans with prosciutto and chorizo, we also had fresh tomatoes with basil and fresh mozarella and we picked up some smoked chicken at the BBQ joint on the way down.

I managed to finish the first sock for mom. Her feet are a little smaller than mine I think and it’s a tad snug on me so it should fit ok. I’m on the cuff of the second sock now. I won’t finish them before I get there but by the time I land I should be at least half done if not a little further. I liked the cream ones I did for myself first but I think I like them in black even better.  I also cast on for a reverse bloom washcloth as a baby gift but I forgot to get a photo of that.

Froggy change-purse got an owie yesterday. I’m not sure if you can see it but part of his back is missing. Thankfully it was in my purse when it happened and I’ve saved all the beads for some repair work when I get home. In the meantime he’s tucked safely away in a ziploc bag in my suitcase.

We depart tomorrow morning, Jason for home and me for Texas. Mom’s computer limps along and works only occasionally so I may or may not have net access next week.  I return home on May 1st so if all is quiet until then it’ll be because the computer isn’t cooperating. Just in case- everyone have a great week!

Yesterday we drove down to Miami for a little daytrip. We started off with a walk through the art deco section of South Beach and lunch.

  After lunch we visited the villa Vizcaya, now a museum. It’s a lovely old villa built in the early 1900′s when Miama was a small town. There were a bunch of young women in fancy gowns being photographed all around the grounds. You can see one in the background of the last photo. Jason called them the dolly girls.

  After the museum we drove down to Key Biscayne and walked out on the beach briefly there. The   was closed but the beach was beautiful and much nicer than South Beach I thought. I’ve never been to the keys before so this was a first for me. Coming back onto the mainland there was a nice view of the Miami skyline. We drove into Little Havana and had an excellent dinner at a Cuban restaurant.
 

Yesterday we visited Blowing Rocks preserve on south Jupiter Ilsand. We spotted some more brown pelicans and watched the waves crashing on the limestone outcroppings.

Afterwards we drove to the north side of the island and took our beach walk on the refuge beach there.

I made it to Sunday morning for a little while and worked a bit more on Mom’s sock. Afterwards I rushed home to pack and finish up the dress. I did manage to get it done two hours before we left- an 11th hour finish is not my normal MO but things have been a bit wonky lately and the library time at the beginning of the week really threw me off. On the plane I just about finished the cuff and this morning I knit the heel flap and turned the heel.  The camera doesn’t really show the pattern but it looks pretty nice in person.

We had a lovely breakfast of fruit salad, scrambled eggs with caviar in, and champagne. Afterwards we ran some errands and had a light lunch in the mall at the Moroccan place. When we got home the cranes made an appearance with their new little one.

This afternoon Jason and I had a nice walk on the beach. The brown pelicans were out in force but too quick for me to get a picture of them. It’s been very windy here and the sea was whipped up into a foam that scudded around the beach like tumbleweed. The weather is perfect, not too hot nor too cold. It looks to be a very nice week!

This weekend we had a sort of knitter’s retreat in Marblehead at Bonnie’s house. We all descended on the house Friday evening and stayed until late Saturday afternoon. It’s a gorgeous location on the water.

We’ve all be having fun knitting baby items for Bonnie. Carrie made these cute little booties that seemed knit up in a flash, particularly since she’d been making socks for her fiance immediately before. I brought my beading tools and Carrie put together some stitch markers from the beads she bought in Cambridge a few weeks ago.

One of the interesting features of Bonnie’s house is an indoor rock climbing wall. Heather tried it out while the rest of us knit and chatted.  We had a potluck dinner,  conversation and stories late into the night (well, late for me that is but then I’m an obnoxiously early riser).

Really, even when I’m up late the night before, I still can’t sleep past daylight. I’ll catch up this week I’m sure. It was a clear morning and the sunrise was beautiful. I worked on the toe of the pink sock while the sun came up and before long Carrie and Bonnie were awake as well.

Saturday morning Bonnie set up her spinning wheel and many of us tried spinning with it. I tried using some "sticky" wool and found I spin much lumpier with that stuff. Bonnie also had some nice top with a really long staple length that I tried and did a little better with. I got out the drop spindle for just a little while but didn’t do very much with that. After lunch we took a little walk around the neighborhood and down to the water’s edge.

At the end of the day we drove into town to visit the local yarn shop, A Yarn Over Marblehead, which conveniently had a sale. I picked up some dark red superwash for socks, a few balls of naturespun worsted for felting, and some stray balls from the $1 basket.

Even with all that going on, I managed to finish the pink retrorib socks. The toe is slightly wonky due to a few glasses of wine but it doesn’t seem so wonky as to need reknitting so I kept it as is. These were done with Taj Majmahal yarn on size 2 needles following the retrorib sock pattern from Interweave Knits magazine Winter 2004. I cast on for another pair of curvy lace socks but this time in black. I plan to give them to Mom when I’m there week after next.

All the pictures from the weekend can be found here: http://www.prospeednet.net/jsprague/marblehead%20knitting%2005/index.htm

Here’s the second pink retrorib sock with nothing left to knit but the toe! I just may finish this one up today. I worked on it a bit at the orthodontist’s office and then again at tutoring. Daniel had a wire pop out of his braces yesterday so I had to pick him up from school early and dash over to the office so they could replace it. They ended up putting in a thicker wire since this is the second time that one has popped out so he’s got sore teeth all over again.

Deb and Mark Rowley are the proud parents of a baby girl, Niah, 6 pounds 1 oz born at 10:18 this morning. Congrats Mark and Deb!

Yesterday I got the zipper into the dress and the shoulder and side seams sewn. It still needs the fussy work done, the neck and arm facings and the hem.

This morning I went out to plant my sweet peas and found the tub full of wonderful cushions of moss. I tucked the seeds in between the mounds of moss. They should be peeking up by the time I get home if things stay moist.

Things are waking up all over the garden. I found the daylillies emerging in the backyard though the hostas are still sleeping. Behind the fence I have a few lillies of the valley, a solomon’s seal and a vinca. Those have all done well and survived in that rough climate so I’ll search for some more of each to plant this year. In the front I found the climbing rose already leafing out and beneath it I discovered that at least one of the white peonies I was given last year has survived. The yarrow is up and many of the herbs are leafing out. I’ll have to really get busy cleaning up and weeding when I get home. We’ll have to think hard about what sort of mulch alternative to use. I don’t want another fire like last year!

The second day of the book fair went well and Ethan began to get over his cold, no fever returned. Nicole is happily back at work today and I am home catching up. Yesterday afternoon while Daniel was at tutoring I knit the heel flap and turned the heel on the second retrorib sock. Hopefully today I’ll get through the gusset and begin working on the foot tonight at SnB at the Java Room. With any luck I’ll hit the toe by the end of the week.

I did manage to pick up the new glasses Monday night so I can hide away the ancient grandma looking ones as a backup again. I’ll have to remember to get her to write me a new prescription next month when I go have that "eye freckle" checked.

Monday night Jason ended up cooking my recipes because he got home before I did. He did a great job and dinner was delicious.

Chicken Tikka

1 cup plain yogurt

1 tablespoon mild curry powder

1 lemon, juiced

1/2 cup cilantro leaves, finely chopped

2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast meat
3 plum tomatoes

1/2 cup canned crushed tomatoes

1 teaspoon mustard seed

1 teaspoon coriander seed

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

Coarse salt

Marinate chicken in yogurt, curry powder, lemon juice and cilantro for about ten minutes. Grill until cooked through. In the meantime, char tomatoes on the grill. In a small skillet, heat mustard seeds, coriander seeds and red pepper flakes until the seeds begin to pop. Crush charred tomatoes and mix with canned tomatoes and seasonings. Serve atop sliced grilled chicken.

Sweet potatoes with cumin

2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
2 teaspoons cumin seeds
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 medium sweet onion chopped
salt to taste

Parboil potatoes in salted water 7 to 10 minutes, or until tender, drain thoroughly. Heat cumin seeds in a large skillet over medium heat until they begin to pop. Pour in oil, stir in onions, reduce heat  and sweat onion  until translucent. Stir in potatoes, season to taste,  and cook until heated through.

For dessert we had:

Banana strawberry raita

vanilla yogurt
grilled bananas, sliced
sliced strawberries
toasted coconut

Toss all ingredients and serve.

Just after I posted yesterday and sat down to begin working on a dress I want to take to Florida, the phone rang. There are two middle schools in town and I volunteer at the one virtually across the street from our house and it was the librarian from this school, Mary, who was calling. When I first began volunteering I worked with Nicole, the librarian who currently works at the other one. Nicole has since had a little boy who’s allergic to just about everything under the sun. Emma is the only other person I know who’s equally allergic. Anyway, Ethan was running fever and has been sick with bronchitis for about 4 weeks, Nicole feared he might have pneumonia. Unfortunately for Nicole, it’s Book Fair week so no ordinary substitute would do. She called Mary and Mary called in the cavalry. I dried my hair and dashed over to spend the day making sure things ran smoothly. I’ve helped with the book fair for 6 years now so it’s pretty easy to handle. Mostly I just needed to be sure the volunteers showed up and each knew what to do. I’m heading off now for a second day of it. Ethan is okay, he just has a cold or something but daycare bans them for 48 hours if they show up with fever. Most likely I’ll be home again tomorrow and will get my dress finished.

Last year we put in some new shrubs along the front of the house to hide the exposed concrete foundation. When we did that I moved the daffodils out into the front garden and they have survived beautifully. The ones down the side of the house are putting on quite a show themselves and the creeping phlox that Jason’s mother planted the year we moved in have just begun to bud and bloom. The grape hyacinths have done very well and are loaded with buds. The lilac has just begun to leaf out if you look closely at the far left picture on the left side. Hopefully it will wait until I get home to bloom.

I’m nearly finished with the cuff of the second pink retrorib sock. I may manage to begin the heel flap this afternoon while Daniel is in tutoring.