lasts and firsts

The calendar ends 2007 today, and starts a brand new year tomorrow.
Mostly I feel more in tune with the seasons changing than good old Gregor's calendar but this particular bit still has power for me, right along with much of the world thinking about fresh starts, resolutions, that sort of thing.
To me, it is a two edged coin. Yes, starting fresh, making new resolutions and all that is appealing and extremely useful, but I also feel it is at least as useful to think about leaving unwanted or unneeded things behind with the old year. Vowing to get rid of bad habits definitely falls into this bowl.
I quit smoking on new years, 2001. It took several previous tries, but that one stuck. I tried one more cigarette maybe 6 months later and the yuckiness of it kept me from ever having one again.
I will harness the energies of lasts and firsts this coming year.
I had one bad spate of overdoing this past weekend. Let that be the last time I make such a foolish health choice.
I WILL swim at least once a week unless medically told not to for a week or so (if I have surgery or something). It means I will be fairly useless physically at least a day afterward, but the exercise and health benefits are worth a day of not being physically active. I can write, and design patterns instead of cleaning the kitchen or cooking that day or two each week to recover.

Speaking of writing, that will be an even larger part of my life this coming year. I spend lots of time thinking and jotting things down already, but I want this next year to be about finishing those stories, creating whole worlds and letting the characters finish their arcs. Learning to let go and call them done.
I also have many seminal knitting patterns. I want next year to be about finishing them and publishing them.
Oscar and I are eating healthily now too, and that will be sustained this coming year, and will become habit again. We both feel better when we have good healthy food around to provide our energy.
What will you be leaving behind with 2007? What will you be planting tomorrow to harvest next year?

long haul

It's endurance season.
Now that the days are lengthening again, it's countdown time.
We wait for the snow to worsen, then to melt away completely, and watch for the first noses of the bulbs planted 6 years ago to start poking up, and that wet spot to appear at the far end of the yard again, then dry up and fill with green again.
In the meantime, I have my knitting, my new indoor garden, and lovely cups of tea, and a new set of birdfeeders just outside the new window, and forays out to swim.
And my writing. I've fallen back in love with it again. I'm sure there will still be days of wrestling it to the mat, but for now, I'm having a terrific time exploring all the quirks of the folks who will populate the story.
My only commitment is to present myself in front of the page, and write, no matter how long or short a time, every day.
So far, so good.

Yule 2007 hasenpfeffer recipe

The Winter Solstice is a big holiday for the Otter Troldahl clan.
This year will be a quiet celebration, but what we can do, we will do with mindfulness and appreciation.

This year I'm making hassenpfeffer.
Historically, game was a major part of the diet during the winter months. That and any produce that can be preserved (dried apples and berries, nuts, onions etc) formed a major part of the diet.
At Solstice, you could feast, but always in your mind was that half of the winter was yet to come. So you ate what wouldn't last out the dark days, and were full of gratitude for winter game.

Here's my recipe for hassenpfeffer. I am not giving firm amounts for the spices, half a palm full will do.
If you need to use ground spices, stick closer to half a teaspoon.

2-3 pounds of rabbit, cut up

WHOLE:
cloves
bayleaf
juniper berries
all spiceblack pepper
mustard

pinch of mace if you've got it

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
slug of smoky whiskey (Islay if you've got it)
sliced onion
adding red wine is ok too.

soak rabbit for 1-2 days in the spiced marinade.

dredge in seasoned flour, brown in butter.
strain marinade, add the liquid to the rabbit and cook in dutch oven for about 1 hour, until it's good and tender.

make sauce from liquid, thicken a bit if need be, serve with good egg noodles or whatever you have on hand for underneath.

The Magically FittingTextured Bands Hat Pattern

First, my photos suck today (I'm still getting used to my new camera). I dashed out and photographed them against some snow, but by the time I realized the poor image quality the hats were already on their way to SOS.
For a better view of what the hat looks like, check out THE TEXTURED BANDS HAT PATTERN by Lorene Voskinarian published on Craf*te*ra*ti (where you can find the free pattern). (knit with chunky, or doubled worsted yarn on # 10.5 (15.5mm) needles)

I LOVE this pattern for charity knitting. The SAME HAT fit both my teeny tiny toddler-sized head, and my husbands XXL sized head, AND he had room to spare. It would have fit a head many sizes larger, yet still snugged around my tiny head warmly, and securely.
Talk about a perfect hat to knit for someone whose head size you don't know!
Because of the construction, it is good and warm. It is thick and cushy, and able to be pulled snugly around your ears.

If you use high contrast yarns, it would be great for kids or people with color courage, if you use beiges or browns, low contrast yarns or even solids it fits anyone's taste.

It's also a fun knit, as the pattern is easily memorized yet with enough interest to keep you knitting happily.

Inside Garden

I spent today gardening.
We found some plants at Ikea a week or so ago, and they've been patiently waiting for me to repot them and place them in their new home.
When I added some new bark to my old faithful desert plant (name unknown, it was a gift almost ten years ago from someone who got it from a botanist who said it was rare) I found a FLOWER SPIKE starting! It bloomed a few months before it was gifted to me, and now it is blessing me with blooms 10 years later :-}
My other (new) plants are a bromiliead, a dracaena 'tree', a snake plant, my amaryllis and two rescued orchids (only 99 cents each, and they needed some loving)

At last, the brightness of Winter

I woke up to let the dog out at 7 a.m., and found the well-before-dawn sky pearly white with gathered light from the city, and snow on the ground. At last, the bright days of winter have arrived.
As a country girl, It still is remarkable to me how bright a damp winter sky gets at night in town. All the ice/water shards gather and refract every lumen back to the ground, where the snow gathers it up and lays it out in a reflective blanket.

The worst days for us are before the snow, when the ground is so dark, and the light is spent.

I grew up with black sky, white ground and skeleton trees as the winter night landscape.
During the day I still prefer the view in the countryside, particularly on a blue-skied sparkley day, but at night, winter can be magical here in town.

Pictures of our snow this morning taken with my new camera, an early yule gift (Thank You Oscar, for the camera, and for all your hard shoveling!)

And so we wait...

The indium scan I had last week showed a possible odd area near where my spleen used to be.
Today I had a CT scan.
And now we wait.

Charity Knitting - beginning at home

An online friend of mine, Deborah Cooke, posted a challenge in her entry dated December 5th: After holiday knitting, why not devote January to knitting for charity?
I thought it was a terrific idea and committed to doing so (I may have a little sample knitting to do, but otherwise, I can devote my time to charity knitting)

Many U.S. Charities want to receive washable, non-wool knitted items. Most of the partial skeins in my stash are wool, many hand wash only.
This is why I began donating to Warm Woolies and Afghans for Afghans last year, but I wanted other options and began to look into what other charitable organizations accepted wool donations.
I posted the question on several groups on Ravelry, and compiled a list, which I will share with you later in this post.

Then a few things happened.
My sister-in-law Dawn runs a food pantry in Branch County, Michigan. I heard that the people who lined up for help and a Thanksgiving basket wound around several blocks this year. It made the local news, as no one realized how bad things had gotten in such a semi-rural area.

A dear friend of mine here in Michigan has been struggling to pay utilities and get the heat turned on in her rented home, but local charities are stretched to their limits this year. The land lord has been threatening eviction. Then the worst happened. County services took her children, since their home was in bad condition and unheated. Naturally, she is devastated.

This was a sharp wake up call. I began to truly think about what I can offer, and where it might be needed, and came to the conclusion that I was dead center in an area of tremendous need.

Michigan is in dire straits this year, with higher numbers of unemployed and homeless people than many other states. Our area is hit particularly hard, since the auto industry has laid off thousands (I am near Detroit). Combine that with the winter weather, and I realized that the best place to offer the few items I can crank out is right here in Ypsilanti.

There is a wonderful local organization called SOS Community Services. Here's a partial list of what they do in the community:

• Short-term housing crisis counseling and case management
• Eviction prevention
• Utility assistance
• Distribution of emergency food and personal hygiene items
• Transportation assistance to a homeless shelter
• Short-term shelter for homeless families and children
• Intensive case management for homeless families
• Subsidized transitional housing and supportive services for homeless families
• Employability skills training and educational supports
• Life skills training
• Parenting programs and play groups
• Therapeutic day care for homeless children
• After-school and substance abuse prevention programs for
  homeless children

Here is a PDF of the FALL/WINTER wish list of items needed, should you be local and wish to help.

We are a single income family, so our money is relatively tight. We can donate food, pick up a few of the items needed when they are on sale, and I can knit.

A wool hat, particularly one with ear flaps can provide life-saving heat conservation. It's also faster for me to make hats than gloves or socks, and the hats I can make will be superior to any of the store-bought acrylic ones at providing warmth, particularly in damp cold weather. It is important to me that what I make be the best most efficient use of my knitting time and the yarn I have. I wish with all my heart we could lavish SOS with thousands, but maybe the little we can do can make a difference to a few.

I encourage you to look around locally and see what you can do, particularly if you live in a cold part of the world. I am in no way saying any of the charities giving overseas are unworthy, I have a few boxes for them I'm working on filling, too. Giving anywhere there is need is laudable.

Here are a few links garnered from fellow knitters on Ravelry, maybe one of them will be a good fit for you:

There is a church group in Dewitt, Michigan, providing knitted items to the homeless, I'm told they will take any fiber you can give. If you are on Ravelry, please contact Peony0505 for details.

BLUEBONNET BABIES
"Our Mission is to make and donate baby items to several local hospitals, we'll offer website links, and charity info,advice as well." They are based in San Antonio, and also have a TEXAS SOLDIER SUPPORT GROUP and a MILITARY BABIES Support group.

Another place to donate is the DULAAN PROJECT
They state: "Mongolia's winter is extreme; the capital city, Ulanbaatar, is the coldest capital in the world. It rarely gets above freezing on winter days, and can plunge to -40ºF at night. To survive, many of the homeless live in the heating ducts below the nations cities. Warm, well-made clothing can allow a child to go to school or an adult to go to work; restore a sense of dignity; and, in some cases, literally save a life." Dulaan is Mongolian for "Warm".

Then there's Knit On's MITTENS FOR AKKOL project, which provides knitted items to orphans in Kazakhstan.

WARM WOOLIES gives to orphans in Eastern Europe, as well as to children closer to home on Reservations.
"Many orphanages in Eastern Europe are very poorly heated. Some do not have hot running water. The children share what few warm clothes there are. Often, the felted slippers we send serve as their only shoes.
Knitting for Rosebud - Knitting for Pine Ridge Reservation:
The Rosebud and Pine Ridge Reservations in South Dakota have the lowest per capita incomes in the United States. An Indian Country Today article reported that 29% of the people on the Rosebud Reservation are homeless, and 59% live in housing that is substandard. Warm children's clothing is scarce, both because of expense and because the reservations are geographically isolated."

AFGHANS FOR AFGHANS is well known in the knitting community.
They are coordinating a New Born campaign, items due in February, 2008
Here are some details:

"The CURE Hospital in Kabul has asked us to send these specific wool items for newborns:
* baby hats
(head circumference of 10" - 15"; caps need to cover ears; ear flaps and under-chin ties are acceptable; hats need some stretch for comfort over forehead)
* baby socks
(foot length of 2.5" - 3.5"; proper socks with heels; no booties or slippers, please; for knitters only)
* baby blankets
(minimum 40" x 30" -- please, NO smaller!; we'd love if crocheters could focus on blankets, as crochet goes faster and is thicker generally; please think dense, not lacy stitches)

CURE is one of the few hospitals that serves very sick babies in their neonatal unit. (We do not need items for premature babies. Just the sizes above.)"

(which reminds me, I have some socks and caps to get shipped to them, Lynn of Colorjoy donated some of the yarn for the caps.)

I hope in your busy lives, you can find time to give a little, whether it be money, time, knitting, or whatever you can. The smallest gesture can mean the world to someone who is facing huge challenges. It can generate a warmth of the soul on both sides, to help all of us make it through.

Blergh.. and the oddity of hospital tests

I'm deep in the throes of 'flu. It hinted it was coming on Wednesday night with a slightly snuffly nose (though that could have been the dust allergy thing) but on Tuesday I woke with full blown (har har) runny nose, watery eyes, aches, fever etc.

Yesterday was hard, as I had to lay very still (NO coughing or sneezing allowed) on a 4 inch wide metal chute while a camera thingy took images looking for where the irradiated white blood cells were congregating. My hands were strapped to my sides, and my toes rubber-banded together. Thank goodness I was clothed. If I had been naked I would NOT have been able to keep from giggling.

Today I've reached the "Eartha Kitt" stage (wasn't she hot as Catwoman?). I use these days to sing songs requiring husky sexy tones. Songs like "Whatever Lola wants, Lola gets, and little man, Lola wants you".
My Grandma Metzger's name was Lola, so it has a slightly bizarre feel to me, but I still like the song.

On a more serious note, my dear friend Lynx is going through an extremely difficult time right now. Any energies or prayers that everything is resolved quickly and for the very best for her and her family are welcomed. Lynx love, my heart is with you.

Medicine Soup Recipe

As requested by Ikkinlala, here is my (highly adaptable) recipe for Medicine Soup as mentioned on the Colorjoy Blog.

First, you may replace any of these ingredients to suit your own palate, BUT this soup is all about the curative, not about the cuisine.

Amounts are generalized, use what you have, and more of the flavors you like.

Ingredients:

-Oil (olive, canola, butter, margarine, whatever you want to use) The oil is an important ingredient, as some medicinal constituents are only released in oil.
-Garlic: as much as you can stand. I use the pre-minced for ease. You can cut up your own cloves, the finer you mince it, the more powerful per clove it is. I usually put in a 1/4 cup for 4 cups of broth.
-Chili peppers: again, as much as you can stand. I use my favorite garlic chili paste from Viet Nam, Tung Ot Toi (green lid, bright red paste, with a rooster on the front.
-Ginger: If using fresh, one of the small knobs (child thumb size) will do, use more if you like it lots. If using dried, about 1/4 to 1/2 a tsp. I use a rasp instead of a knife, its easier.
-Lemon: 1 whole lemon, rasp the skin right into the broth, then squeeze the juice and reserve it 'til the very last step. You can just use prepared out-of-the-bottle juice, about 1/4 cup.
-Herbs and other spices: Parsley is great if you have post nasal drip, dill is good for an upset tum, as is basil, thyme and oregano (or marjoram, which I prefer),You can add pretty much any kitchen herb or spice with medicinal use. Here is a decent ARTICLE with some ideas.
-Noodles : If I'm feeling poorly, I often use any egg noodles or spatzle I have on hand, If I am up to it, I often make rivvles with my grandmother's recipe. Here's a similar RECIPE you can use. (Grandma Metzger's is 1 cup of flour, a plop of oil, a bit of salt, an egg, mix it all up and drop the rivvles into the boiling broth by finger pinches.)
-Broth: I use Kitchen Basics Chicken Stock almost exclusively. It just tastes best to us, and only has half the salt of most other brands, without any loss of flavor. Use what you like best. It is 4 cups a carton, and I use one carton per batch.

put oil in soup pot.
add garlic, ginger, and chili pepper sauce. (and any ground or root spices like cinnamon or turmeric)
add broth
add lemon zest
when boiling, add noodles, spatzle, or rivvles, and 'green' herbs.
When noodles are cooked, turn off heat and add lemon juice.

I usually ladle a cup of the broth out when I'm feeling particularly rough, and wait on the noodles until I feel better.

New Colorjoy Yarns!

Lynn of Colorjoy has some GORGEOUS new yarns up!

She has a new feltable series up, I think my favorite in that series is Relaxation, though Contentment (vibrant purple turquoise and pink) is really great too.
And she put up some more Cushy Colorsport Seaside!

I am really looking forward to playing with the new feltable yarn, it would make a gorgeous bag!